scholarly journals Cloning and sequencing of a highly productive, endotheliotropic virus strain derived from human cytomegalovirus TB40/E

2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Sinzger ◽  
Gabriele Hahn ◽  
Margarete Digel ◽  
Ruth Katona ◽  
Kerstin Laib Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Restriction Fragment ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
High Titre ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Bac Clone ◽  
Hcmv Strain ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Selection Of

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain TB40/E, replicates efficiently, exhibits a broad cell tropism and is widely used for infection of endothelial cells and monocyte-derived cells yet has not been available in a phenotypically homogeneous form compatible with genetic analysis. To overcome this problem, we cloned the TB40/E strain into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vector. Both highly endotheliotropic and poorly endotheliotropic virus clones, representing three distinct restriction fragment patterns, were reconstituted after transfection of BAC clones derived from previously plaque-purified strain TB40/E. For one of the highly endotheliotropic clones, TB40-BAC4, we provide the genome sequence. Two BACs with identical restriction fragment patterns but different cell tropism were further analysed in the UL128-UL131A gene region. Sequence analysis revealed one coding-relevant adenine insertion at position 332 of UL128 in the BAC of the poorly endotheliotropic virus, which caused a frameshift in the C-terminal part of the coding sequence. Removal of this insertion by markerless mutagenesis restored the highly endotheliotropic phenotype, indicating that the loss of endothelial cell tropism was caused by this insertion. In conclusion, HCMV strain TB40/E, which combines the high endothelial cell tropism of a clinical isolate with the high titre growth of a cell culture adapted strain, is now available as a BAC clone suitable for genetic engineering. The results also suggest BAC cloning as a suitable method for selection of genetically defined virus clones.

scholarly journals Specialization for Cell-Free or Cell-to-Cell Spread of BAC-Cloned Human Cytomegalovirus Strains Is Determined by Factors beyond the UL128-131 and RL13 Loci

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P. Schultz ◽  
Jean-Marc Lanchy ◽  
Le Zhang Day ◽  
Qin Yu ◽  
Christopher Peterson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Bac Clone ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Cell Spread

ABSTRACT It is widely held that clinical isolates of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are highly cell associated, and mutations affecting the UL128-131 and RL13 loci that arise in culture lead to the appearance of a cell-free spread phenotype. The bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone Merlin (ME) expresses abundant UL128-131, is RL13 impaired, and produces low infectivity virions in fibroblasts, whereas TB40/e (TB) and TR are low in UL128-131, are RL13 intact, and produce virions of much higher infectivity. Despite these differences, quantification of spread by flow cytometry revealed remarkably similar spread efficiencies in fibroblasts. In epithelial cells, ME spread more efficiently, consistent with robust UL128-131 expression. Strikingly, ME spread far better than did TB or TR in the presence of neutralizing antibodies on both cell types, indicating that ME is not simply deficient at cell-free spread but is particularly efficient at cell-to-cell spread, whereas TB and TR cell-to-cell spread is poor. Sonically disrupted ME-infected cells contained scant infectivity, suggesting that the efficient cell-to-cell spread mechanism of ME depends on features of the intact cells such as junctions or intracellular trafficking processes. Even when UL128-131 was transcriptionally repressed, cell-to-cell spread of ME was still more efficient than that of TB or TR. Moreover, RL13 expression comparably reduced both cell-free and cell-to-cell spread of all three strains, suggesting that it acts at a stage of assembly and/or egress common to both routes of spread. Thus, HCMV strains can be highly specialized for either for cell-free or cell-to-cell spread, and these phenotypes are determined by factors beyond the UL128-131 or RL13 loci. IMPORTANCE Both cell-free and cell-to-cell spread are likely important for the natural biology of HCMV. In culture, strains clearly differ in their capacity for cell-free spread as a result of differences in the quantity and infectivity of extracellular released progeny. However, it has been unclear whether “cell-associated” phenotypes are simply the result of poor cell-free spread or are indicative of particularly efficient cell-to-cell spread mechanisms. By measuring the kinetics of spread at early time points, we were able to show that HCMV strains can be highly specialized to either cell-free or cell-to-cell mechanisms, and this was not strictly linked the efficiency of cell-free spread. Our results provide a conceptual approach to evaluating intervention strategies for their ability to limit cell-free or cell-to-cell spread as independent processes.

scholarly journals Mutational Mapping of UL130 of Human Cytomegalovirus Defines Peptide Motifs within the C-Terminal Third as Essential for Endothelial Cell Infection

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (18) ◽  
pp. 9019-9026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Schuessler ◽  
Kerstin Laib Sampaio ◽  
Laura Scrivano ◽  
Christian Sinzger
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Cell Infection ◽  
Peptide Motifs ◽  
Charged Amino Acids ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Charge Cluster ◽  
A Charge

ABSTRACT The UL130 gene is one of the major determinants of endothelial cell (EC) tropism of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). In order to define functionally important peptides within this protein, we have performed a charge-cluster-to-alanine (CCTA) mutational scanning of UL130 in the genetic background of a bacterial artificial chromosome-cloned endotheliotropic HCMV strain. A total of 10 charge clusters were defined, and in each of them two or three charged amino acids were replaced with alanines. While the six N-terminal clusters were phenotypically irrelevant, mutation of the four C-terminal clusters each caused a reduction of EC tropism. The importance of this protein domain was further emphasized by the fact that the C-terminal pentapeptide PNLIV was essential for infection of ECs, and the cell tropism could not be rescued by a scrambled version of this sequence. We conclude that the C terminus of the UL130 protein serves an important function for infection of ECs by HCMV. This makes UL130 a promising molecular target for antiviral strategies, e.g., the development of antiviral peptides.

scholarly journals Human Cytomegalovirus Cell Tropism and Host Cell Receptors

Vaccines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerna ◽  
Kabanova ◽  
Lilleri
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Immunosuppressed Patient ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Virus Envelope

In the 1970s–1980s, a striking increase in the number of disseminated human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections occurred in immunosuppressed patient populations. Autopsy findings documented the in vivo disseminated infection (besides fibroblasts) of epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. As a result, multiple diagnostic assays, such as quantification of HCMV antigenemia (pp65), viremia (infectious virus), and DNAemia (HCMV DNA) in patient blood, were developed. In vitro experiments showed that only low passage or endothelial cell-passaged clinical isolates, and not laboratory-adapted strains, could reproduce both HCMV leuko- and endothelial cell-tropism, which were found through genetic analysis to require the three viral genes UL128, UL130, and UL131 of the HCMV UL128 locus (UL128L). Products of this locus, together with gH/gL, were shown to form the gH/gL/pUL128L pentamer complex (PC) required for infection of epithelial cells/endothelial cells, whereas gH/gL and gO form the gH/gL/gO trimer complex (TC) required for infection of all cell types. In 2016, following previous work, a receptor for the TC that mediates entry into fibroblasts was identified as PDGFRα, while in 2018, a receptor for the PC that mediates entry into endothelial/epithelial cells was identified as neuropilin2 (Nrp2). Furthermore, the olfactory receptor family member OR14I1 was recently identified as a possible additional receptor for the PC in epithelial cells. Thus, current data support two models of viral entry: (i) in fibroblasts, following interaction of PDGFRα with TC, the latter activates gB to fuse the virus envelope with the cell membrane, whereas (ii) in epithelial cells/endothelial cells, interaction of Nrp2 (and OR14I1) with PC promotes endocytosis of virus particles, followed by gB activation by gH/gL/gO (or gH/gL) and final low-pH entry into the cell.

scholarly journals Use of Recombination-Mediated Genetic Engineering for Construction of Rescue Human Cytomegalovirus Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Clones

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalpana Dulal ◽  
Benjamin Silver ◽  
Hua Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Bac Clone ◽  
Dna Viruses ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Recombination System ◽  
Capture Method

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) technology has contributed immensely to manipulation of larger genomes in many organisms including large DNA viruses like human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The HCMV BAC clone propagated and maintained insideE. coliallows for accurate recombinant virus generation. Using this system, we have generated a panel of HCMV deletion mutants and their rescue clones. In this paper, we describe the construction of HCMV BAC mutants using a homologous recombination system. A gene capture method, or gap repair cloning, to seize large fragments of DNA from the virus BAC in order to generate rescue viruses, is described in detail. Construction of rescue clones using gap repair cloning is highly efficient and provides a novel use of the homologous recombination-based method inE. colifor molecular cloning, known colloquially as recombineering, when rescuing large BAC deletions. This method of excising large fragments of DNA provides important prospects forin vitrohomologous recombination for genetic cloning.

scholarly journals Mutational Mapping of pUL131A of Human Cytomegalovirus Emphasizes Its Central Role for Endothelial Cell Tropism

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 504-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Schuessler ◽  
K. L. Sampaio ◽  
S. Straschewski ◽  
C. Sinzger
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Mutational Mapping

Prediction of endothelial cell tropism of human cytomegalovirus strains

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
G GERNA ◽  
A SARASINI ◽  
E GENINI ◽  
E PERCIVALLE ◽  
M REVELLO
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Cell Tropism

scholarly journals Charge Cluster-to-Alanine Scanning of UL128 for Fine Tuning of the Endothelial Cell Tropism of Human Cytomegalovirus

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (22) ◽  
pp. 11239-11246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Schuessler ◽  
Kerstin Laib Sampaio ◽  
Christian Sinzger
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Intermediate Phenotype ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Functional Sites ◽  
Charge Cluster ◽  
Terminal Cluster

ABSTRACT The viral genes UL128, UL130, and UL131A have been identified as major determinants of endothelial cell (EC) tropism of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), with deletion of either gene causing a null phenotype. We hypothesized that a functional scanning of these genes by minor genetic modifications would allow for the generation of mutants with an intermediate phenotype. By combining charge cluster-to-alanine (CCTA) mutagenesis with markerless mutagenesis of a bacterial artificial chromosome-cloned endotheliotropic HCMV strain, we analyzed UL128 in order to identify functional sites and hence enable targeted modulation of the EC tropism of HCMV. A total of nine mutations in eight charge clusters were tested. Three of the CCTA mutations severely reduced EC tropism, three were irrelevant, two had a weak effect on cell tropism, and one mutation in the most C-terminal cluster caused an intermediate phenotype. All of the highly effective mutations were located in a core region (amino acids 72 to 106) which appears to be particularly crucial for EC tropism. The intermediate effect of mutations in the C-terminal cluster could be modulated by varying the number of amino acids replaced with alanine. This study provides a rational approach for targeted modulation of HCMV cell tropism, which may aid in the development of HCMV strains with a desired degree of attenuation.

scholarly journals UL74 of Human Cytomegalovirus Contributes to Virus Release by Promoting Secondary Envelopment of Virions

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 2802-2812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Jing Jiang ◽  
Barbara Adler ◽  
Kerstin Laib Sampaio ◽  
Margarete Digel ◽  
Gerhard Jahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Umbilical Vein ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Virus Release ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Viral Spread

ABSTRACT The glycoprotein (g) complex gH/gL represents an essential part of the herpesvirus fusion machinery mediating entry of cell-free virions and cell-associated viral spread. In some herpesviruses additional proteins are associated with gH/gL contributing to the cell tropism of the respective virus. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gH/gL forms complexes with either gO (UL74) or proteins of the UL128-131A gene locus. While a contribution of UL128-131A to endothelial cell tropism is known, the role of gO is less clear. We studied the role of gH/gL-associated proteins in HCMV replication in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Deletions of UL74 alone or in combination with mutations of the UL128-131A gene region were introduced into bacterial artificial chromosome vectors derived from the endotheliotropic strain TB40/E. Deletion of UL74 caused a profound defect regarding virus release from infected HFF and HUVEC. Large numbers of capsids accumulated in the cytoplasm of infected HFF but failed to acquire an envelope. Clear cell type differences were observed in the cell-associated spread of the UL74-defective virus. In HFF, focal growth was severely impaired, whereas it was normal in HUVEC. Deletion of UL131A abolished focal growth in endothelial cells. UL74/UL128-131A dual mutants showed severely impaired reconstitution efficiency. Our data suggest that gO plays a critical role in secondary envelopment and release of cell-free virions independent of the cell type but affects cell-associated growth specifically in HFF, whereas UL128-131A contributes to cell-associated spread in HFF and HUVEC.

scholarly journals The attenuated Towne strain of human cytomegalovirus may revert to both endothelial cell tropism and leuko- (neutrophil- and monocyte-) tropism in vitro

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (8) ◽  
pp. 1993-2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Gerna ◽  
Elena Percivalle ◽  
Antonella Sarasini ◽  
Fausto Baldanti ◽  
M. Grazia Revello
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Cell Cultures ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Viral Gene ◽  
Cell Tropism ◽  
Human Embryonic Lung ◽  
Healthy Human

The Towne strain of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), originally recovered from the urine of a congenitally infected newborn, was attenuated through 125 passages in human embryonic lung fibroblast cell cultures. Although reliable markers of attenuation were not identified, the virus was shown to be attenuated by inoculation of both healthy human volunteers and immunocompromised patients. More recently, Towne (like other laboratory-adapted strains) was shown not to have two biological properties typical of recent clinical isolates: endothelial cell tropism and polymorphonuclear leukocyte tropism. These markers of attenuation are lost by all clinical isolates on extensive propagation in cell cultures and are apparently associated with one another. Here, we show that Towne may reacquire both endothelial cell tropism and leuko- (polymorphonuclear- and monocyte-) tropism on adaptation to growth in endothelial cell cultures. However, reversion to endothelial cell tropism is dissociated from reversion to leukotropism, since the latter was reacquired 10–20 passages later. Thus, these two biological properties, which were considered to be encoded by the same viral gene(s), appear to be distinct. Both restriction fragment length polymorphism and Southern blot analysis demonstrated the identity of the attenuated and endothelial cell tropic variants of Towne, thus suggesting that only minor variations (mutations) of the viral genome may be responsible for loss or reacquisition of the two biological properties. Viral genes involved in endothelial cell tropism and leukotropism remain to be identified. However, reversion of attenuated strains to pathogenicity in vivo cannot be excluded a priori.

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