scholarly journals Estimation of the in vivo recombination rate for a plant RNA virus

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 724-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Tromas ◽  
Mark P. Zwart ◽  
Maïté Poulain ◽  
Santiago F. Elena
Keyword(s):  
Recombination Rate ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Recombination Rates ◽  
Nucleotide Site ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Virus Genotypes ◽  
The Cost

Phylogenomic evidence suggested that recombination is an important evolutionary force for potyviruses, one of the larger families of plant RNA viruses. However, mixed-genotype potyvirus infections are marked by low levels of cellular coinfection, precluding template switching and recombination events between virus genotypes during genomic RNA replication. To reconcile these conflicting observations, we evaluated the in vivo recombination rate (r g) of Tobacco etch virus (TEV; genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) by coinfecting plants with pairs of genotypes marked with engineered restriction sites as neutral markers. The recombination rate was then estimated using two different approaches: (i) a classical approach that assumed recombination between marked genotypes can occur in the whole virus population, rendering an estimate of r g = 7.762×10−8 recombination events per nucleotide site per generation, and (ii) an alternative method that assumed recombination between marked genotypes can occur only in coinfected cells, rendering a much higher estimate of r g = 3.427×10−5 recombination events per nucleotide site per generation. This last estimate is similar to the TEV mutation rate, suggesting that recombination should be at least as important as point mutation in creating variability. Finally, we compared our mutation and recombination rate estimates to those reported for animal RNA viruses. Our analysis suggested that high recombination rates may be an unavoidable consequence of selection for fast replication at the cost of low fidelity.

scholarly journals Essential role of IPS-1 in innate immune responses against RNA viruses

2006 ◽  
Vol 203 (7) ◽  
pp. 1795-1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Kumar ◽  
Taro Kawai ◽  
Hiroki Kato ◽  
Shintaro Sato ◽  
Ken Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nuclear Factor Κb ◽  
Type I ◽  
Innate Immune Responses ◽  
Antiviral Responses ◽  
Deficient Mice

IFN-β promoter stimulator (IPS)-1 was recently identified as an adapter for retinoic acid–inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (Mda5), which recognize distinct RNA viruses. Here we show the critical role of IPS-1 in antiviral responses in vivo. IPS-1–deficient mice showed severe defects in both RIG-I– and Mda5-mediated induction of type I interferon and inflammatory cytokines and were susceptible to RNA virus infection. RNA virus–induced interferon regulatory factor-3 and nuclear factor κB activation was also impaired in IPS-1–deficient cells. IPS-1, however, was not essential for the responses to either DNA virus or double-stranded B-DNA. Thus, IPS-1 is the sole adapter in both RIG-I and Mda5 signaling that mediates effective responses against a variety of RNA viruses.

Estimating the in-vivo HIV template switching and recombination rate

AIDS ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Cromer ◽  
Andrew J. Grimm ◽  
Timothy E. Schlub ◽  
Johnson Mak ◽  
Miles P. Davenport
Keyword(s):  
Recombination Rate ◽  
Template Switching

scholarly journals Sequence-Specific Modifications Enhance the Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Response Activated by RIG-I Agonists

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (15) ◽  
pp. 8011-8025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Chiang ◽  
Vladimir Beljanski ◽  
Kevin Yin ◽  
David Olagnier ◽  
Fethia Ben Yebdri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Antiviral Response ◽  
Interferon Response

ABSTRACTThe cytosolic RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene I) receptor plays a pivotal role in the initiation of the immune response against RNA virus infection by recognizing short 5′-triphosphate (5′ppp)-containing viral RNA and activating the host antiviral innate response. In the present study, we generated novel 5′ppp RIG-I agonists of varieous lengths, structures, and sequences and evaluated the generation of the antiviral and inflammatory responses in human epithelial A549 cells, human innate immune primary cells, and murine models of influenza and chikungunya viral pathogenesis. A 99-nucleotide, uridine-rich hairpin 5′pppRNA termed M8 stimulated an extensive and robust interferon response compared to other modified 5′pppRNA structures, RIG-I aptamers, or poly(I·C). Interestingly, manipulation of the primary RNA sequence alone was sufficient to modulate antiviral activity and inflammatory response, in a manner dependent exclusively on RIG-I and independent of MDA5 and TLR3. Both prophylactic and therapeutic administration of M8 effectively inhibited influenza virus and dengue virus replicationin vitro. Furthermore, multiple strains of influenza virus that were resistant to oseltamivir, an FDA-approved therapeutic treatment for influenza, were highly sensitive to inhibition by M8. Finally, prophylactic M8 treatmentin vivoprolonged survival and reduced lung viral titers of mice challenged with influenza virus, as well as reducing chikungunya virus-associated foot swelling and viral load. Altogether, these results demonstrate that 5′pppRNA can be rationally designed to achieve a maximal RIG-I-mediated protective antiviral response against human-pathogenic RNA viruses.IMPORTANCEThe development of novel therapeutics to treat human-pathogenic RNA viral infections is an important goal to reduce spread of infection and to improve human health and safety. This study investigated the design of an RNA agonist with enhanced antiviral and inflammatory properties against influenza, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. A novel, sequence-dependent, uridine-rich RIG-I agonist generated a protective antiviral responsein vitroandin vivoand was effective at concentrations 100-fold lower than prototype sequences or other RNA agonists, highlighting the robust activity and potential clinical use of the 5′pppRNA against RNA virus infection. Altogether, the results identify a novel, sequence-specific RIG-I agonist as an attractive therapeutic candidate for the treatment of a broad range of RNA viruses, a pressing issue in which a need for new and more effective options persists.

scholarly journals Upper-limit mutation rate estimation for a plant RNA virus

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Sanjuán ◽  
Patricia Agudelo-Romero ◽  
Santiago F. Elena
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
Mutation Rates ◽  
Methodological Error ◽  
Direct Estimate ◽  
Rate Estimation ◽  
Mutation Rate Estimation

It is generally accepted that mutation rates of RNA viruses are inherently high due to the lack of proofreading mechanisms. However, direct estimates of mutation rate are surprisingly scarce, in particular for plant viruses. Here, based on the analysis of in vivo mutation frequencies in tobacco etch virus , we calculate an upper-bound mutation rate estimation of 3×10 −5 per site and per round of replication; a value which turns out to be undistinguishable from the methodological error. Nonetheless, the value is barely on the lower side of the range accepted for RNA viruses, although in good agreement with the only direct estimate obtained for other plant viruses. These observations suggest that, perhaps, differences in the selective pressures operating during plant virus evolution may have driven their mutation rates towards values lower than those characteristic of other RNA viruses infecting bacteria or animals.

Efficient RNA virus targeting via CRISPR-CasRx in fish

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Wang ◽  
Yun Liu ◽  
Chong Han ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
Fengqi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interference Effect ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Nervous Necrosis Virus ◽  
Necrosis Virus ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
Positive Strand Rna ◽  
Rna Knockdown

The emergence of the CRISPR-Cas system as a technology has transformed our ability to modify nucleic acids, and the CRISPR-Cas13 system has been used to target RNA. CasRx is a small sized type VI-D effector (Cas13d) with RNA knockdown efficiency that may have an interference effect on RNA viruses. However, the RNA virus-targeting activity of CasRx still needs to be verified in vivo in vertebrates. In this study, we successfully engineered a highly effective CasRx system for fish virus interference. We designed synthetic mRNA coding for CasRx and used CRISPR RNAs to guide it to target the grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV). This technique resulted in significant interference with virus infections both in vitro and in vivo . These results indicate that CRISPR/CasRx can be used to engineer interference against RNA viruses in fish, which provides a potential novel mechanism for RNA-guided immunity against other RNA viruses in vertebrates. Importance RNA viruses are most important viral pathogens infecting vertebrates and mammals. RNA virus populations are highly dynamic due to short generation times, large population sizes, and high mutation frequencies. Therefore, it is difficult to find a widely effective ways to inhibit RNA viruses. Therefore, we urgently need to develop effective antiviral methods. CasRx is a small sized type VI-D effector (Cas13d) with RNA knockdown efficiency that can have an interference effect on RNA viruses. Nervous necrosis virus (NNV), a non-enveloped positive-strand RNA virus, is one of the most serious viral pathogens infecting more than 40 cultured fish species resulting in huge economic losses worldwide. Here, we establish a novel efective CasRx system for RNA virus interference using NNV and grouper (Epinephelus coioices) as model. Our data show that CasRx have the most robust for RNA virus interference applications in fish and demonstrate its suitability for studying key questions relating to virus biology.

scholarly journals Low recombination activity of R region located at both ends of the HIV-1 genome.

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Urbanowicz ◽  
Anna Kurzyńska-Kokorniak ◽  
Anna Jankowska ◽  
Magdalena Alejska ◽  
Marek Figlerowicz
Keyword(s):  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Brome Mosaic Virus ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Strand Transfer ◽  
Recombination Activity ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
R Region ◽  
Hiv 1

Although two strand transfer events are indispensable for the synthesis of double-stranded DNA and establishing HIV-1 infection, the molecular basis of these phenomena is still unclear. The first obligatory template switching event occurs just at the beginning of the virus replication cycle and involves two copies of the 97-nucleotide long R region, located one each at the both ends of the HIV-1 genome (HIV-1 R). Thus, one can expect that the molecular mechanism of this process is similar to the mechanism of homologous recombination which operates in RNA viruses. To verify the above-mentioned hypothesis, we attempted to assess the recombination activity of HIV-1 R. To this end, we tested in vitro, how effectively it induces template switching by HIV-1 RT in comparison with another well-characterized sequence supporting frequent homologous crossovers in an unrelated virus (R region derived from Brome mosaic virus--BMV R). We also examined if the RNA sequences neighboring HIV-1 R influence its recombination activity. Finally, we tested if HIV-1 R could cause BMV polymerase complex to switch between RNA templates in vivo. Overall, our results have revealed a relatively low recombination activity of HIV-1 R as compared to BMV R. This observation suggests that different factors modulate the efficiency of the first obligatory strand transfer in HIV-1 and the homology-driven recombination in RNA viruses.

scholarly journals Sex and the Evolution of Intrahost Competition in RNA Virus φ6

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 523-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E Turner ◽  
Lin Chao
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Rapid Adaptation ◽  
Bacterial Host ◽  
Asexual Population ◽  
Sexual Population ◽  
Pseudomonas Phaseolicola ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Genetic Conflicts

Abstract Sex allows beneficial mutations that occur in separate lineages to be fixed in the same genome. For this reason, the Fisher-Muller model predicts that adaptation to the environment is more rapid in a large sexual population than in an equally large asexual population. Sexual reproduction occurs in populations of the RNA virus φ6 when multiple bacteriophages coinfect the same host cell. Here, we tested the model's predictions by determining whether sex favors more rapid adaptation of φ6 to a bacterial host, Pseudomonas phaseolicola. Replicate populations of φ6 were allowed to evolve in either the presence or absence of sex for 250 generations. All experimental populations showed a significant increase in fitness relative to the ancestor, but sex did not increase the rate of adaptation. Rather, we found that the sexual and asexual treatments also differ because intense intrahost competition between viruses occurs during coinfection. Results showed that the derived sexual viruses were selectively favored only when coinfection is common, indicating that within-host competition detracts from the ability of viruses to exploit the host. Thus, sex was not advantageous because the cost created by intrahost competition was too strong. Our findings indicate that high levels of coinfection exceed an optimum where sex may be beneficial to populations of φ6, and suggest that genetic conflicts can evolve in RNA viruses.

scholarly journals Low-Fidelity Polymerases of Alphaviruses Recombine at Higher Rates To Overproduce Defective Interfering Particles

2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 2446-2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Z. Poirier ◽  
Bryan C. Mounce ◽  
Kathryn Rozen-Gagnon ◽  
Peter Jan Hooikaas ◽  
Kenneth A. Stapleford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Defective Interfering Particles

ABSTRACTLow-fidelity RNA-dependent RNA polymerases for many RNA virus mutators have been shown to confer attenuated phenotypes, presumably due to increased mutation rates. Additionally, for many RNA viruses, replication to high titers results in the production of defective interfering particles (DIs) that also attenuate infection. We hypothesized that fidelity, recombination, and DI production are tightly linked. We show that a Sindbis virus mutator replicating at a high multiplicity of infection manifests an earlier and greater accumulation of DIs than its wild-type counterpart. The isolated DIs interfere with the replication of full-length virus in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, the ability of the mutator virus to overproduce DIs could be linked to an increased recombination frequency. These data confirm that RNA-dependent RNA polymerase fidelity and recombination are inversely correlated for this mutator. Our findings suggest that defective interference resulting from higher recombination rates may be more detrimental to RNA virus mutators than the increase in mutational burden.IMPORTANCEReplication, adaptation, and evolution of RNA viruses rely in large part on their low-fidelity RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Viruses artificially modified in their polymerases to decrease fidelity (mutator viruses) are attenuatedin vivo, demonstrating the important role of fidelity in viral fitness. However, attenuation was attributed solely to the modification of the viral mutation rate and the accumulation of detrimental point mutations. In this work, we described an additional phenotype of mutator viruses: an increased recombination rate leading to defective interfering particle (DI) overproduction. Because DIs are known for their inhibitory effect on viral replication, our work suggests that fidelity variants may be attenuatedin vivovia several mechanisms. This has important implications in the development of fidelity variants as live attenuated vaccine strains.

scholarly journals RNA Virus Fidelity Mutants: A Useful Tool for Evolutionary Biology or a Complex Challenge?

Viruses ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Kautz ◽  
Naomi Forrester
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Host Infection ◽  
Definition Of

RNA viruses replicate with low fidelity due to the error-prone nature of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which generates approximately one mutation per round of genome replication. Due to the large population sizes produced by RNA viruses during replication, this results in a cloud of closely related virus variants during host infection, of which small increases or decreases in replication fidelity have been shown to result in virus attenuation in vivo, but not typically in vitro. Since the discovery of the first RNA virus fidelity mutants during the mid-aughts, the field has exploded with the identification of over 50 virus fidelity mutants distributed amongst 7 RNA virus families. This review summarizes the current RNA virus fidelity mutant literature, with a focus upon the definition of a fidelity mutant as well as methods to confirm any mutational changes associated with the fidelity mutant. Due to the complexity of such a definition, in addition to reports of unstable virus fidelity phenotypes, the future translational utility of these mutants and applications for basic science are examined.

scholarly journals Isolation and Analysis of Rare Norovirus Recombinants from Coinfected Mice Using Drop-Based Microfluidics

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (15) ◽  
pp. 7722-7734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huidan Zhang ◽  
Shelley K. Cockrell ◽  
Abimbola O. Kolawole ◽  
Assaf Rotem ◽  
Adrian W. R. Serohijos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Template Switching ◽  
Murine Norovirus ◽  
Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase ◽  
Infectious Gastroenteritis

ABSTRACTHuman noroviruses (HuNoVs) are positive-sense RNA viruses that can cause severe, highly infectious gastroenteritis. HuNoV outbreaks are frequently associated with recombination between circulating strains. Strain genotyping and phylogenetic analyses show that noroviruses often recombine in a highly conserved region near the junction of the viral polyprotein (open reading frame 1 [ORF1]) and capsid (ORF2) genes and occasionally within the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene. Although genotyping methods are useful for tracking changes in circulating viral populations, they report only the dominant recombinant strains and do not elucidate the frequency or range of recombination events. Furthermore, the relatively low frequency of recombination in RNA viruses has limited studies to cell culture orin vitrosystems, which do not reflect the complexities and selective pressures present in an infected organism. Using two murine norovirus (MNV) strains to model coinfection, we developed a microfluidic platform to amplify, detect, and recover individual recombinants followingin vitroandin vivocoinfection. One-step reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was performed in picoliter drops with primers that identified the wild-type and recombinant progenies and scanned for recombination breakpoints at ∼1-kb intervals. We detected recombination between MNV strains at multiple loci spanning the viral protease, RdRP, and capsid ORFs and isolated individual recombinant RNA genomes that were present at a frequency of 1/300,000 or higher. This study is the first to examine norovirus recombination following coinfection of an animal and suggests that the exchange of RNA among viral genomes in an infected host occurs in multiple locations and is an important driver of genetic diversity.IMPORTANCERNA viruses increase diversity and escape host immune barriers by genomic recombination. Studies using a number of viral systems indicate that recombination occurs via template switching by the virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP). However, factors that govern the frequency and positions of recombination in an infected organism remain largely unknown. This work leverages advances in the applied physics of drop-based microfluidics to isolate and sequence rare recombinants arising from the coinfection of mice with two distinct strains of murine norovirus. This study is the first to detect and analyze norovirus recombination in an animal model.

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