scholarly journals Intra-genome variability in the dinucleotide composition of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Digard ◽  
Hui Min Lee ◽  
Colin Sharp ◽  
Finn Grey ◽  
Eleanor Gaunt
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Tissue Tropism ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotides ◽  
Genome Variability ◽  
Cpg Motifs ◽  
Dinucleotide Composition ◽  
Replication Site ◽  
Cpg Suppression

Abstract CpG dinucleotides are under-represented in the genomes of single-stranded RNA viruses, and SARS-CoV-2 is no exception to this. Artificial modification of CpG frequency is a valid approach for live attenuated vaccine development; if this is to be applied to SARS-CoV-2, we must first understand the role CpG motifs play in regulating SARS-CoV-2 replication. Accordingly, the CpG composition of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was characterised. CpG suppression among coronaviruses does not differ between virus genera but does vary with host species and primary replication site (a proxy for tissue tropism), supporting the hypothesis that viral CpG content may influence cross-species transmission. Although SARS-CoV-2 exhibits overall strong CpG suppression, this varies considerably across the genome, and the Envelope (E) open reading frame (ORF) and ORF10 demonstrate an absence of CpG suppression. Across the Coronaviridae, E genes display remarkably high variation in CpG composition, with those of SARS and SARS-CoV-2 having much higher CpG content than other coronaviruses isolated from humans. This is an ancestrally derived trait reflecting their bat origins. Conservation of CpG motifs in these regions suggests that they have a functionality which over-rides the need to suppress CpG; an observation relevant to future strategies towards a rationally attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

scholarly journals Intra-genome variability in the dinucleotide composition of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Digard ◽  
Hui Min Lee ◽  
Colin Sharp ◽  
Finn Grey ◽  
Eleanor Gaunt
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Tissue Tropism ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotides ◽  
Genome Variability ◽  
Cpg Motifs ◽  
Dinucleotide Composition ◽  
Replication Site ◽  
Cpg Suppression

AbstractCpG dinucleotides are under-represented in the genomes of single stranded RNA viruses, and coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are no exception to this. Artificial modification of CpG frequency is a valid approach for live attenuated vaccine development, and if this is to be applied to SARS-CoV-2, we must first understand the role CpG motifs play in regulating SARS-CoV-2 replication. Accordingly, the CpG composition of the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 genome was characterised in the context of other coronaviruses. CpG suppression amongst coronaviruses does not significantly differ according to genera of virus, but does vary according to host species and primary replication site (a proxy for tissue tropism), supporting the hypothesis that viral CpG content may influence cross-species transmission. Although SARS-CoV-2 exhibits overall strong CpG suppression, this varies considerably across the genome, and the Envelope (E) open reading frame (ORF) and ORF10 demonstrate an absence of CpG suppression. While ORF10 is only present in the genomes of a subset of coronaviruses, E is essential for virus replication. Across the Coronaviridae, E genes display remarkably high variation in CpG composition, with those of SARS and SARS-CoV-2 having much higher CpG content than other coronaviruses isolated from humans. Phylogeny indicates that this is an ancestrally-derived trait reflecting their origin in bats, rather than something selected for after zoonotic transfer. Conservation of CpG motifs in these regions suggests that they have a functionality which over-rides the need to suppress CpG; an observation relevant to future strategies towards a rationally attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

scholarly journals An adaptive compromise - Conflicting evolutionary pressures on arthropod-borne Zika virus dinucleotide composition in mammalian hosts and mosquito vectors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelke J. Fros ◽  
Imke Visser ◽  
Bing Tang ◽  
Kexin Yan ◽  
Eri Nakayama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Vertebrate Host ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Antiviral Protein ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotides ◽  
Mosquito Cells ◽  
Dinucleotide Composition ◽  
Cpg Suppression

AbstractMost vertebrate RNA viruses show pervasive suppression of CpG and UpA dinucleotides, closely resembling the dinucleotide composition of host cell transcriptomes. In contrast, CpG suppression is absent in both invertebrate mRNA and RNA viruses that exclusively infect arthropods. Arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses are transmitted between vertebrate hosts by invertebrate vectors and thus encounter potentially conflicting evolutionary pressures in the different cytoplasmic environments. Using a newly developed Zika virus (ZIKV) model, we have investigated how demands for CpG suppression in vertebrate cells can be reconciled with potentially quite different compositional requirements in invertebrates, and how this affects ZIKV replication and transmission.Mutant viruses with synonymously elevated CpG or UpA dinucleotide frequencies showed attenuated replication in vertebrate cell lines, which was rescued by knockout of the zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP). Conversely, in mosquito cells, ZIKV mutants with elevated CpG dinucleotide frequencies showed substantially enhanced replication compared to wildtype. Host-driven effects on virus replication attenuation and enhancement were even more apparent in mouse and mosquito models. Infections with CpG-or UpA-high ZIKV mutants in mice did not cause typical ZIKV-induced tissue damage and completely protected mice during subsequent challenge with wildtype virus, which demonstrates their potential as live-attenuated vaccines. In contrast, the CpG-high mutants displayed enhanced replication in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and a larger proportion of mosquitoes carried infectious virus in their saliva.These findings show that mosquito cells are also capable of discriminating RNA based on dinucleotide composition. However, the evolutionary pressure on the CpG dinucleotides of viral genomes in arthropod vectors directly opposes the pressure present in vertebrate host cells, which provides evidence that an adaptive compromise is required for arbovirus transmission. This suggests that the genome composition of arthropod-borne flaviviruses is crucial to maintain the balance between high-level replication in the vertebrate host and persistent replication in the mosquito vector.

scholarly journals Glycine at Position 622 in PB1 Contributes to the Virulence of H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus in Mice

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 1872-1879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Feng ◽  
Zeng Wang ◽  
Jianzhong Shi ◽  
Guohua Deng ◽  
Huihui Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
H5n1 Virus ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Avian Influenza Viruses ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
H5n1 Avian Influenza

ABSTRACTWe isolated two H5N1 viruses, A/duck/Hunan/S4020/2008 (DK/08) and A/chicken/Guangxi/S2039/2009 (CK/09), from live-bird markets during routine surveillance and found that these two viruses are genetically similar but differ in their replication and virulence in mice. The CK/09 virus is lethal for mice with a 50% mouse lethal dose (MLD50) of 1.6 log1050% egg infectious doses (EID50), whereas the DK/08 virus is nonpathogenic for mice with an MLD50value of 6.2 log10EID50. We explored the genetic basis of the virulence difference of these two viruses by generating a series of reassortant viruses and mutants in the lethal virus CK/09 background and evaluating their virulence in mice. We found that the PB1 gene of the DK/08 virus dramatically attenuated the virulence of the CK/09 virus and that the amino acid at position 622 in PB1 made an important contribution. We further demonstrated that the mutation of glycine (G) to aspartic acid (D) at position 622 in PB1 partially impaired the binding of PB1 to viral RNA, thereby dramatically decreasing the polymerase activity and attenuating H5N1 virus virulence in mice. Our results identify a novel virulence-related marker of H5N1 influenza viruses and provide a new target for live attenuated vaccine development.IMPORTANCEH5N1 avian influenza viruses have caused the deaths of nearly 60% of the humans that they have infected since 1997 and clearly represent a threat to public health. A thorough understanding of the genetic basis of virulence determinants will provide important insights for antiviral drug and live attenuated vaccine development. Several virulence-related markers in the PB2, PA, M1, and NS1 proteins of H5N1 viruses have been identified. In this study, we isolated two H5N1 avian influenza viruses that are genetically similar but differ in their virulence in mice, and we identified a new virulence-related marker in the PB1 gene. We found that the mutation of glycine (G) to aspartic acid (D) at position 622 in PB1 partially impairs the binding of PB1 to viral RNA, thereby attenuating H5N1 virus virulence in mice. This newly identified virulence-related marker could be applied to the development of live attenuated vaccines against H5N1 influenza.

scholarly journals Ovine herpesvirus 2 replicates initially in the lung of experimentally infected sheep

2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (7) ◽  
pp. 1699-1708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Li ◽  
Cristina W. Cunha ◽  
Christopher J. Davies ◽  
Katherine L. Gailbreath ◽  
Donald P. Knowles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lymphoproliferative Disease ◽  
Infected Sheep ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Malignant Catarrhal Fever ◽  
Defence Mechanism ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Initial Infection ◽  
Nasal Secretions ◽  
Replication Site

Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), a rhadinovirus in the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae, is the causative agent of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF), a frequently fatal lymphoproliferative disease primarily of ruminants worldwide. Inability to propagate the virus in vitro has made it difficult to study OvHV-2 replication. Aerosol inoculation of sheep with OvHV-2 from nasal secretions collected from naturally infected sheep during shedding episodes results in infection of naive sheep, providing an excellent system to study OvHV-2 initial replication in the natural host. In this study, we showed that OvHV-2 delivered through the nasal route by nebulization resulted in infection in all lambs, but no infection was established in any lambs after intravenous or intraperitoneal injection. In nebulized lambs, while it was not detected initially in any other tissues, OvHV-2 DNA became detectable in the lung at 3 days post-infection (p.i.), increased to about 900 copies per 50 ng DNA at 5 days p.i., reached peak levels (∼7500 copies) at 7 days p.i., and then declined to an average of 800 copies at 9 days p.i. Transcripts of OvHV-2 open reading frame 25 (coding for the capsid protein), an indicator of virus replication, were only detected in lung tissues, and were positively correlated with OvHV-2 DNA levels in the lungs. In addition, selected immune response genes were also highly expressed in the lung at 5 and 7 days p.i. The data indicate that lung is the primary replication site for OvHV-2 during initial infection in sheep and suggest that viral replication is promptly controlled by a host defence mechanism.

scholarly journals Use of a small DNA virus model to investigate mechanisms of CpG dinucleotide-induced attenuation of virus replication

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (11) ◽  
pp. 1202-1218
Author(s):  
Lisa Loew ◽  
Niluka Goonawardane ◽  
Jeremy Ratcliff ◽  
Dung Nguyen ◽  
Peter Simmonds
Keyword(s):  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Translation Efficiency ◽  
Antiviral Protein ◽  
Dna Virus ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotides ◽  
Functional Basis ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotide ◽  
Cpg Suppression

Suppression of the CpG dinucleotide is widespread in RNA viruses infecting vertebrates and plants, and in the genomes of retroviruses and small mammalian DNA viruses. The functional basis for CpG suppression in the latter was investigated through the construction of mutants of the parvovirus, minute virus of mice (MVM) with increased CpG or TpA dinucleotides in the VP gene. CpG-high mutants displayed extraordinary attenuation in A9 cells compared to wild-type MVM (>six logs), while TpA elevation showed no replication effect. Attenuation was independent of Toll-like receptor 9 and STING-mediated DNA recognition pathways and unrelated to effects on translation efficiency. While translation from codon-optimized VP RNA was enhanced in a cell-free assay, MVM containing this sequence was highly attenuated. Further mutational analysis indicated that this arose through its increased numbers of CpG dinucleotides (7→70) and separately from its increased G+C content (42.3→57.4 %), which independently attenuated replication. CpG-high viruses showed impaired NS mRNA expression by qPCR and reduced NS and particularly VP protein expression detected by immunofluorescence and replication in A549 cells, effects reversed in zinc antiviral protein (ZAP) knockout cells, even though nuclear relocalization of VP remained defective. The demonstrated functional basis for CpG suppression in MVM and potentially other small DNA viruses and the observed intolerance of CpGs in coding sequences, even after codon optimization, has implications for the use of small DNA virus vectors in gene therapy and immunization.

scholarly journals Cloning and characterization of a Schistosoma mansoni 1H and 30S clones as two tegumental vaccine candidate antigens.

2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-278
Author(s):  
Amr M Shabaan ◽  
Magdy M Mohamed ◽  
Mohga S Abdallah ◽  
Hayat M Ibrahim ◽  
Amr M Karim
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Schistosoma Mansoni ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Complete Sequence ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Reading Frame

Two Schistosoma mansoni cDNA clones 30S and 1H were identified by immunoscreening of sporocyst lambdagt11 library and by random sequencing of clones from lambdaZap libraries, respectively. Clone 30S was one of 30 clones identified by an antibody raised against tegument of 3-h schistosomules. The clone was found to encode an 81 amino-acid protein fragment. It was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein of calculated molecular mass of about 35 kDa with C-terminus of Schistosoma japonicum glutathione-S-transferase (Sj26; about 26 kDa). The recombinant fusion protein was specifically recognized by serum of rabbits immunized with irradiated cercariae. Clone 1H is one of 76 expressed sequence tags derived from an adult worm library. It encodes the complete sequence of a tegumental membrane protein, Sm13. The 104 amino-acid open reading frame encodes a protein with a calculated molecular mass of about 11.9 kDa. Clone 1H was expressed in E. coli as an insoluble fusion protein with Sj26 of about 40 kDa. In Western blots, the fusion protein was recognized by serum from rabbits vaccinated with irradiated cercariae but not by preimmune rabbit sera. The cloning, characterization and expression of those proteins are therefore potentially usefull for vaccine development.

scholarly journals Characterization of Plaque Variants and the Involvement of Quasi-Species in a Population of EV-A71

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 651
Author(s):  
Madiiha Bibi Mandary ◽  
Malihe Masomian ◽  
Seng-Kai Ong ◽  
Chit Laa Poh
Keyword(s):  
Growth Kinetics ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Homology Modelling ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Plaque Morphology ◽  
Spontaneous Mutations ◽  
Small Plaque ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine

Viral plaque morphologies in human cell lines are markers for growth capability and they have been used to assess the viral fitness and selection of attenuated mutants for live-attenuated vaccine development. In this study, we investigate whether the naturally occurring plaque size variation reflects the virulence of the variants of EV-A71. Variants of two different plaque sizes (big and small) from EV-A71 sub-genotype B4 strain 41 were characterized. The plaque variants displayed different in vitro growth kinetics compared to the parental wild type. The plaque variants showed specific mutations being present in each variant strain. The big plaque variants showed four mutations I97L, N104S, S246P and N282D in the VP1 while the small plaque variants showed I97T, N237T and T292A in the VP1. No other mutations were detected in the whole genome of the two variants. The variants showed stable homogenous small plaques and big plaques, respectively, when re-infected in rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) and Vero cells. The parental strain showed faster growth kinetics and had higher viral RNA copy number than both the big and small plaque variants. Homology modelling shows that both plaque variants have differences in the structure of the VP1 protein due to the presence of unique spontaneous mutations found in each plaque variant This study suggests that the EV-A71 sub-genotype B4 strain 41 has at least two variants with different plaque morphologies. These differences were likely due to the presence of spontaneous mutations that are unique to each of the plaque variants. The ability to maintain the respective plaque morphology upon passaging indicates the presence of quasi-species in the parental population.

scholarly journals Genome Sequencing of Recent Clinical Chlamydia trachomatis Strains Identifies Loci Associated with Tissue Tropism and Regions of Apparent Recombination

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 2544-2553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan M. Jeffrey ◽  
Robert J. Suchland ◽  
Kelsey L. Quinn ◽  
John R. Davidson ◽  
Walter E. Stamm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Tissue Tropism ◽  
Large Collection ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Relative Prevalence ◽  
Tissue Tropisms

ABSTRACT The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis exists as multiple serovariants that have distinct organotropisms for different tissue sites. Culture and epidemiologic data have demonstrated that serovar G is more prevalent, while serovar E is less prevalent, for rectal isolates from men having sex with men (MSM). The relative prevalence of these serovars is the opposite for isolates from female cervical infections. In contrast, the prevalence of serovar J isolates is approximately the same at the different tissue sites, and these isolates are the only C-class strains that are routinely cultured from MSM populations. These correlations led us to hypothesize that polymorphisms in open reading frame (ORF) sequences correlate with the different tissue tropisms of these serovars. To explore this possibility, we sequenced and compared the genomes of clinical anorectal and cervical isolates belonging to serovars E, G, and J and compared these genomes with each other, as well as with a set of previously sequenced genomes. We then used PCR- and restriction digestion-based genotyping assays performed with a large collection of recent clinical isolates to show that polymorphisms in ORFs CT144, CT154, and CT326 were highly associated with rectal tropism in serovar G isolates and that polymorphisms in CT869 and CT870 were associated with tissue tropism across all serovars tested. The genome sequences collected were also used to identify regions of likely recombination in recent clinical strains. This work demonstrated that whole-genome sequencing along with comparative genomics is an effective approach for discovering variable loci in Chlamydia spp. that are associated with clinical presentation.

scholarly journals Protection of Macaca nemestrina from Disease following Pathogenic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) Challenge: Utilization of SIV Nucleocapsid Mutant DNA Vaccines with and without an SIV Protein Boost

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 11935-11949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Gorelick ◽  
Raoul E. Benveniste ◽  
Jeffrey D. Lifson ◽  
Jason L. Yovandich ◽  
William R. Morton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Peak Plasma ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Macaca Nemestrina ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus

ABSTRACT Molecular clones were constructed that express nucleocapsid (NC) deletion mutant simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) that are replication defective but capable of completing virtually all of the steps of a single viral infection cycle. These steps include production of particles that are viral RNA deficient yet contain a full complement of processed viral proteins. The mutant particles are ultrastructurally indistinguishable from wild-type virus. Similar to a live attenuated vaccine, this approach should allow immunological presentation of a full range of viral epitopes, without the safety risks of replicating virus. A total of 11 Macaca nemestrina macaques were inoculated with NC mutant SIV expressing DNA, intramuscularly (i.m.) in one study and i.m. and subcutaneously in another study. Six control animals received vector DNA lacking SIV sequences. Only modest and inconsistent humoral responses and no cellular immune responses were observed prior to challenge. Following intravenous challenge with 20 animal infectious doses of the pathogenic SIV(Mne) in a long-term study, all control animals became infected and three of four animals developed progressive SIV disease leading to death. All 11 NC mutant SIV DNA-immunized animals became infected following challenge but typically showed decreased initial peak plasma SIV RNA levels compared to those of control animals (P = 0.0007). In the long-term study, most of the immunized animals had low or undetectable postacute levels of plasma SIV RNA, and no CD4+ T-cell depletion or clinical evidence of progressive disease, over more than 2 years of observation. Although a subset of immunized and control animals were boosted with SIV(Mne) proteins, no apparent protective benefit was observed. Immunization of macaques with DNA that codes for replication-defective but structurally complete virions appears to protect from or at least delay the onset of AIDS after infection with a pathogenic immunodeficiency virus. With further optimization, this may be a promising approach for vaccine development.

scholarly journals BLV: lessons on vaccine development

Retrovirology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Abdala ◽  
Irene Alvarez ◽  
Hélène Brossel ◽  
Luis Calvinho ◽  
Hugo Carignano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Inactivated Vaccines ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Sterilizing Immunity

Abstract Vaccination against retroviruses is a challenge because of their ability to stably integrate into the host genome, undergo long-term latency in a proportion of infected cells and thereby escape immune response. Since clearance of the virus is almost impossible once infection is established, the primary goal is to achieve sterilizing immunity. Besides efficacy, safety is the major issue since vaccination has been associated with increased infection or reversion to pathogenicity. In this review, we discuss the different issues that we faced during the development of an efficient vaccine against bovine leukemia virus (BLV). We summarize the historical failures of inactivated vaccines, the efficacy and safety of a live-attenuated vaccine and the economical constraints of further industrial development.

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