scholarly journals A Single Amino Acid at Position 158 in Hemagglutinin Affects the Antigenic Property of Eurasian Avian-like H1N1 Swine Influenza Viruses

Author(s):  
Zeng Wang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Huayuan Chen ◽  
Fei Meng ◽  
Shiyu Tao ◽  
...  

Influenza viruses have been posing a great threat to public health and animal industry. The developed vaccines have been widely used to reduce the risk of potential pandemic; however, the ongoing antigenic drift makes influenza virus escape from host immune response and hampers vaccine efficacy. Until now, the genetic basis of antigenic variation remains largely unknown. In this study, we used A/swine/Guangxi/18/2011 (GX/18) and A/swine/Guangdong/104/2013 (GD/104) as models to explore the molecular determinant for antigenic variation of Eurasian avian-like H1N1 (EA H1N1) swine influenza viruses (SIVs), and found that the GD/104 virus exhibited 32~64-fold lower antigenic cross-reactivity with antibodies against GX/18 virus. Therefore, we generated polyclonal antibodies against GX/18 or GD/104 virus and a monoclonal antibody (mAb), named mAb102-95, targeted to the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of GX/18 virus, and found that a single amino acid substitution at position 158 in HA protein substantially altered the antigenicity of virus. The reactivity of GX/18 virus containing G158E mutation with the mAb102-95 decreased 8-fold than that of the parental strain. Contrarily, the reactivity of GD/104 virus bearing E158G mutation with the mAb102-95 increased by 32 times as compared with that of the parental virus. Structural analysis showed that the amino acid mutation from G to E was accompanied with the R group changing from -H to -(CH ) -COOH. The induced steric effect and increased hydrophilicity of HA protein surface jointly contributed to the antigenic drift of EA H1N1 SIVs. Our study provides experimental evidence that G158E mutation in HA protein affects the antigenic property of EA H1N1 SIVs, and widens our horizon on the antigenic drift of influenza virus.

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeng Wang ◽  
Huanliang Yang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Shiyu Tao ◽  
Liling Liu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Efficient transmission from human to human is the prerequisite for an influenza virus to cause a pandemic; however, the molecular determinants of influenza virus transmission are still largely unknown. In this study, we explored the molecular basis for transmission of Eurasian avian-like H1N1 (EAH1N1) swine influenza viruses by comparing two viruses that are genetically similar but differ in their transmissibility in guinea pigs: the A/swine/Guangxi/18/2011 virus (GX/18) is highly transmissible by respiratory droplet in guinea pigs, whereas the A/swine/Heilongjiang/27/2012 virus (HLJ/27) does not transmit in this animal model. We used reverse genetics to generate a series of reassortants and mutants in the GX/18 background and tested their transmissibility in guinea pigs. We found that a single-amino-acid substitution of glycine (G) for glutamic acid (E) at position 225 (E225G) in the HA1 protein completely abolished the respiratory droplet transmission of GX/18, whereas the substitution of E for G at the same position (G225E) in HA1 enabled HLJ/27 to transmit in guinea pigs. We investigated the underlying mechanism and found that viruses bearing 225E in HA1 replicated more rapidly than viruses bearing 225G due to differences in assembly and budding efficiencies. Our study indicates that the amino acid 225E in HA1 plays a key role in EAH1N1 swine influenza virus transmission and provides important information for evaluating the pandemic potential of field influenza virus strains. IMPORTANCE Efficient transmission among humans is a prerequisite for a novel influenza virus to cause a human pandemic. Transmissibility of influenza viruses is a polygenic trait, and understanding the genetic determinants for transmissibility will provide useful insights for evaluating the pandemic potential of influenza viruses in the field. Several amino acids in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of influenza viruses have been shown to be important for transmissibility, usually by increasing virus affinity for human-type receptors. In this study, we explored the genetic basis of the transmissibility difference between two Eurasian avian-like H1N1 (EAH1N1) swine influenza viruses in guinea pigs and found that the amino acid glutamic acid at position 225 in the HA1 protein plays a critical role in the transmission of EAH1N1 virus by increasing the efficiency of viral assembly and budding.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 977
Author(s):  
Kobporn Boonnak ◽  
Chayasin Mansanguan ◽  
Dennis Schuerch ◽  
Usa Boonyuen ◽  
Hatairat Lerdsamran ◽  
...  

Influenza viruses continue to be a major public health threat due to the possible emergence of more virulent influenza virus strains resulting from dynamic changes in virus adaptability, consequent of functional mutations and antigenic drift in surface proteins, especially hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). In this study, we describe the genetic and evolutionary characteristics of H1N1, H3N2, and influenza B strains detected in severe cases of seasonal influenza in Thailand from 2018 to 2019. We genetically characterized seven A/H1N1 isolates, seven A/H3N2 isolates, and six influenza B isolates. Five of the seven A/H1N1 viruses were found to belong to clade 6B.1 and were antigenically similar to A/Switzerland/3330/2017 (H1N1), whereas two isolates belonged to clade 6B.1A1 and clustered with A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1). Interestingly, we observed additional mutations at antigenic sites (S91R, S181T, T202I) as well as a unique mutation at a receptor binding site (S200P). Three-dimensional (3D) protein structure analysis of hemagglutinin protein reveals that this unique mutation may lead to the altered binding of the HA protein to a sialic acid receptor. A/H3N2 isolates were found to belong to clade 3C.2a2 and 3C.2a1b, clustering with A/Switzerland/8060/2017 (H3N2) and A/South Australia/34/2019 (H3N2), respectively. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed 10 mutations at antigenic sites including T144A/I, T151K, Q213R, S214P, T176K, D69N, Q277R, N137K, N187K, and E78K/G. All influenza B isolates in this study belong to the Victoria lineage. Five out of six isolates belong to clade 1A3-DEL, which relate closely to B/Washington/02/2009, with one isolate lacking the three amino acid deletion on the HA segment at position K162, N163, and D164. In comparison to the B/Colorado/06/2017, which is the representative of influenza B Victoria lineage vaccine strain, these substitutions include G129D, G133R, K136E, and V180R for HA protein. Importantly, the susceptibility to oseltamivir of influenza B isolates, but not A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 isolates, were reduced as assessed by the phenotypic assay. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring genetic variation in influenza viruses regarding how acquired mutations could be associated with an improved adaptability for efficient transmission.


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huihui Kong ◽  
David F. Burke ◽  
Tiago Jose da Silva Lopes ◽  
Kosuke Takada ◽  
Masaki Imai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Since the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the H5 subtype, the major viral antigen, hemagglutinin (HA), has undergone constant evolution, resulting in numerous genetic and antigenic (sub)clades. To explore the consequences of amino acid changes at sites that may affect the antigenicity of H5 viruses, we simultaneously mutated 17 amino acid positions of an H5 HA by using a synthetic gene library that, theoretically, encodes all combinations of the 20 amino acids at the 17 positions. All 251 mutant viruses sequenced possessed ≥13 amino acid substitutions in HA, demonstrating that the targeted sites can accommodate a substantial number of mutations. Selection with ferret sera raised against H5 viruses of different clades resulted in the isolation of 39 genotypes. Further analysis of seven variants demonstrated that they were antigenically different from the parental virus and replicated efficiently in mammalian cells. Our data demonstrate the substantial plasticity of the influenza virus H5 HA protein, which may lead to novel antigenic variants. IMPORTANCE The HA protein of influenza A viruses is the major viral antigen. In this study, we simultaneously introduced mutations at 17 amino acid positions of an H5 HA expected to affect antigenicity. Viruses with ≥13 amino acid changes in HA were viable, and some had altered antigenic properties. H5 HA can therefore accommodate many mutations in regions that affect antigenicity. The substantial plasticity of H5 HA may facilitate the emergence of novel antigenic variants.


2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1236-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pravina Kitikoon ◽  
Martha I. Nelson ◽  
Mary Lea Killian ◽  
Tavis K. Anderson ◽  
Leo Koster ◽  
...  

To understand the evolution of swine-origin H3N2v influenza viruses that have infected 320 humans in the USA since August 2011, we performed a phylogenetic analysis at a whole genome scale of North American swine influenza viruses (n  =  200). All viral isolates evolved from the prototypical North American H3 cluster 4 (c4), with evidence for further diversification into subclusters. At least ten distinct reassorted H3N2/pandemic H1N1 (rH3N2p) genotypes were identified in swine. Genotype 1 (G1) was most frequently detected in swine and all human H3N2v viruses clustered within a single G1 clade. These data suggest that the genetic requirements for transmission to humans may be restricted to a specific subset of swine viruses. Mutations at putative antigenic sites as well as reduced serological cross-reactivity among the H3 subclusters suggest antigenic drift of these contemporary viruses.


2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (21) ◽  
pp. 11102-11115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie L. Fornek ◽  
Laura Gillim-Ross ◽  
Celia Santos ◽  
Victoria Carter ◽  
Jerrold M. Ward ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The transmission of H5N1 influenza viruses from birds to humans poses a significant public health threat. A substitution of glutamic acid for lysine at position 627 of the PB2 protein of H5N1 viruses has been identified as a virulence determinant. We utilized the BALB/c mouse model of H5N1 infection to examine how this substitution affects virus-host interactions and leads to systemic infection. Mice infected with H5N1 viruses containing lysine at amino acid 627 in the PB2 protein exhibited an increased severity of lesions in the lung parenchyma and the spleen, increased apoptosis in the lungs, and a decrease in oxygen saturation. Gene expression profiling revealed that T-cell receptor activation was impaired at 2 days postinfection (dpi) in the lungs of mice infected with these viruses. The inflammatory response was highly activated in the lungs of mice infected with these viruses and was sustained at 4 dpi. In the spleen, immune-related processes including NK cell cytotoxicity and antigen presentation were highly activated by 2 dpi. These differences are not attributable solely to differences in viral replication in the lungs but to an inefficient immune response early in infection as well. The timing and magnitude of the immune response to highly pathogenic influenza viruses is critical in determining the outcome of infection. The disruption of these factors by a single-amino-acid substitution in a polymerase protein of an influenza virus is associated with severe disease and correlates with the spread of the virus to extrapulmonary sites.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Y. K. Wong ◽  
Celeste Donato ◽  
Yi-Mo Deng ◽  
Don Teng ◽  
Naomi Komadina ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGlobal swine populations infected with influenza A viruses pose a persistent pandemic risk. With the exception of a few countries, our understanding of the genetic diversity of swine influenza viruses is limited, hampering control measures and pandemic risk assessment. Here we report the genomic characteristics and evolutionary history of influenza A viruses isolated in Australia from 2012 to 2016 from two geographically isolated swine populations in the states of Queensland and Western Australia. Phylogenetic analysis with an expansive human and swine influenza virus data set comprising >40,000 sequences sampled globally revealed evidence of the pervasive introduction and long-term establishment of gene segments derived from several human influenza viruses of past seasons, including the H1N1/1977, H1N1/1995, H3N2/1968, and H3N2/2003, and the H1N1 2009 pandemic (H1N1pdm09) influenza A viruses, and a genotype that contained gene segments derived from the past three pandemics (1968, reemerged 1977, and 2009). Of the six human-derived gene lineages, only one, comprising two viruses isolated in Queensland during 2012, was closely related to swine viruses detected from other regions, indicating a previously undetected circulation of Australian swine lineages for approximately 3 to 44 years. Although the date of introduction of these lineages into Australian swine populations could not be accurately ascertained, we found evidence of sustained transmission of two lineages in swine from 2012 to 2016. The continued detection of human-origin influenza virus lineages in swine over several decades with little or unpredictable antigenic drift indicates that isolated swine populations can act as antigenic archives of human influenza viruses, raising the risk of reemergence in humans when sufficient susceptible populations arise.IMPORTANCEWe describe the evolutionary origins and antigenic properties of influenza A viruses isolated from two separate Australian swine populations from 2012 to 2016, showing that these viruses are distinct from each other and from those isolated from swine globally. Whole-genome sequencing of virus isolates revealed a high genotypic diversity that had been generated exclusively through the introduction and establishment of human influenza viruses that circulated in past seasons. We detected six reassortants with gene segments derived from human H1N1/H1N1pdm09 and various human H3N2 viruses that circulated during various periods since 1968. We also found that these swine viruses were not related to swine viruses collected elsewhere, indicating independent circulation. The detection of unique lineages and genotypes in Australia suggests that isolated swine populations that are sufficiently large can sustain influenza virus for extensive periods; we show direct evidence of a sustained transmission for at least 4 years between 2012 and 2016.


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