Biomedical subjects

B R Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to B R Murphy.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Recombinant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bearing a set of mutations from cold-passaged RSV is attenuated in chimpanzees.

A set of five missense mutations previously identified by nucleotide sequence analysis of subgroup A cold-passaged (cp) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been introduced into a recombinant wild-type strain of RSV. This recombinant virus, designated rA2cp, appears to replicate less efficiently in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of seronegative chimpanzees than either biologically derived or recombinant wild-type RSV. Infection with rA2cp also resulted in significantly less rhinorrhea and cough than infection with wild-type RSV. These findings confirm the role of the cp mutations in attenuation of RSV and identify their usefulness for inclusion in future live attenuated recombinant RSV vaccine candidates.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) SH and G proteins are not essential for viral replication in vitro: clinical evaluation and molecular characterization of a cold-passaged, attenuated RSV subgroup B mutant.

A live, cold-passaged (cp) candidate vaccine virus, designated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) B1 cp-52/2B5 (cp-52), replicated efficiently in Vero cells, but was found to be overattenuated for RSV-seronegative infants and children. Sequence analysis of reverse-transcription-PCR-amplified fragments of this mutant revealed a large deletion spanning most of the coding sequences for the small hydrophobic (SH) and attachment (G) proteins. Northern blot analysis of cp-52 detected multiple unique read-through mRNAs containing SH and G sequences, consistent with a deletion mutation spanning the SH:G gene junction. Immunological studies confirmed that an intact G glycoprotein was not produced by the cp-52 virus. Nonetheless, cp-52 was infectious and replicated to high titer in tissue culture despite the absence of the viral surface SH and G glycoproteins. Thus, our characterization of this negative-strand RNA virus identified a novel replication-competent deletion mutant lacking two of its three surface glycoproteins. The requirement of SH and G for efficient replication in vivo suggests that selective deletion of one or both of these RSV genes may provide an alternative or additive strategy for developing an optimally attenuated vaccine candidate.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Recovery of infectious human parainfluenza virus type 3 from cDNA.

Infectious HPIV3 was produced by the intracellular coexpression of four plasmid-borne cDNAs. These separately encoded a complete HPIV3 genome (negative-sense), the HPIV3 nucleocapsid protein N, the phosphoprotein P, and the polymerase protein L. The cDNA-encoded HPIV3 genome differed from the JS wildtype (wt) strain of HPIV3 used in its construction by seven point mutations: four of these are silent mutations in the HN or L gene coding regions that serve as markers of a cDNA-derived virus, two were introduced to create an amino acid substitution that ablates an epitope recognized by the HN-specific monoclonal neutralizing antibody 423/6, and the remaining point mutation results in an incidental amino acid substitution in the HN protein at amino acid position 263. The four plasmids were transfected into HEp-2 cell monolayers and their expression was driven by T7 RNA polymerase supplied by a vaccinia virus recombinant. The titer of virus present in the harvested transfection supernatant was low (<5 PFU/ml), and the recovered recombinant virus (rJS) retained each of the seven mutations present in the cDNA from which it was derived. Despite the introduced and incidental mutations, rJS retained the wt phenotypes as regards replication at elevated temperature in vitro and efficient replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract of hamsters. rJS was also recovered from a cDNA encoding a complete antigenome (positive-sense) with slightly greater efficiency than from the negative-sense construct. The ability to generate infectious HPIV3 from cDNA should greatly enhance our ability to develop new live-attenuated parainfluenza virus vaccines, including chimeric PIV1 and PIV2 vaccines, and to understand the genetic basis of attenuation of PIV3 candidate vaccines.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Minimum protein requirements for transcription and RNA replication of a minigenome of human parainfluenza virus type 3 and evaluation of the rule of six.

A reconstituted transcription and RNA replication system for human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3) was developed using components expressed intracellularly from transfected plasmids driven by T7 RNA polymerase supplied by a vaccinia virus recombinant. The system is based on a negative-sense analog of HPIV3 genomic RNA in which the viral genes were deleted and replaced with that encoding bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT). The N, P, and L proteins expressed from cotransfected plasmids were necessary and sufficient to direct efficient transcription and RNA replication. Transcription yielded subgenomic polyadenylated mRNA, which was isolated by oligo(dT) chromatography. RNA replication yielded a mini-antigenome and progeny minigenome, which were shown to be encapsidated based on resistance to digestion with micrococcal nuclease. A panel of cDNAs was constructed to encode minigenomes which differed in length by single-nucleotide increments. Transcription and RNA replication in the reconstituted system were most efficient for the minigenome whose length was an even multiple of six. Both RNA replication and transcription appeared to be governed by the rule. However, minigenomes whose lengths were one nucleotide greater than or less than an even multiple of six also were very active, especially in RNA replication, indicating that the rule was not absolute.

Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase↗

PubMed1997

Evaluation of two live, cold-passaged, temperature-sensitive respiratory syncytial virus vaccines in chimpanzees and in human adults, infants, and children.

Two live-attenuated, cold-passaged (cp), temperature-sensitive (ts) candidate vaccines, designated cpts530/1009 and cpts248/955, were attenuated, genetically stable, and immunogenic in chimpanzees and were highly attenuated for human adults. In respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-seropositive children, cpts530/1009 was more restricted in replication than cpts248/955. In seronegative children, 10(4) pfu of cpts248/955 was insufficiently attenuated, and a high titer of vaccine virus was shed (mean peak titer, 10(4.4) pfu/mL), whereas 10(4) pfu of cpts530/1009 was relatively attenuated and restricted in replication (mean peak titer, 10(2.0) pfu/mL). At a dose of 10(5) pfu, cpts530/1009 was immunogenic in seronegative children (geometric mean titer of RSV neutralizing antibodies, 1:724). Transmission of either vaccine to seronegative placebo recipients occurred at a frequency of 20%-25%. Of importance, vaccine viruses recovered from chimpanzees and humans were ts. In contrast to previous studies, this study indicates that live attenuated RSV vaccines that are immunogenic and phenotypically stable can be developed. Additional studies are being conducted to identify a live RSV vaccine that is slightly more attenuated and less transmissible than cpts530/1009.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Recombinant respiratory syncytial virus from which the entire SH gene has been deleted grows efficiently in cell culture and exhibits site-specific attenuation in the respiratory tract of the mouse.

The small hydrophobic protein SH of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a short transmembrane surface protein of unknown function. A full-length cDNA of RSV strain A2 (subgroup A) antigenomic RNA was modified such that the entire SH gene, including the transcription signals and the complete mRNA-encoding sequence, was deleted and replaced by a synthetic intergenic region. This reduced the length of the antigenome by 398 nucleotides and ablated expression of 1 of the 10 RSV mRNAs. Recombinant virus containing this engineered deletion was recovered, and the absence of the SH gene was confirmed by reverse transcription in conjunction with PCR. Northern blot analysis of intracellular RNAs and gel electrophoresis of labeled intracellular proteins confirmed the lack of expression of the SH mRNA and protein. The absence of the SH gene did not noticeably affect RNA replication, but two effects on transcription were noted. First, synthesis of the G, F, and M2 mRNAs was increased, presumably due to their being one position closer to the promoter in the gene order. Second, transcription of genes downstream of the engineered site exhibited a steeper gradient of polarity. On monolayers of HEp-2 cells, the SH-minus virus produced syncytia which were at least equivalent in size to those of the wild type and produced plaques which were 70% larger. Furthermore, the SH-minus virus grew somewhat better (up to 12.6-fold) than wild-type recombinant RSV in certain cell lines. While the function of the SH protein remains to be determined, it seems to be completely dispensable for growth in tissue culture and fusion function. When inoculated intranasally into mice, the SH-minus virus resembled the wild-type recombinant virus in its efficiency of replication in the lungs, whereas it replicated 10-fold less efficiently in the upper respiratory tract. In mice, the SH-minus and wild-type recombinant viruses were similarly immunogenic and effective in inducing resistance to virus challenge.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed1997

The temperature-sensitive (ts) phenotype of a cold-passaged (cp) live attenuated respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate, designated cpts530, results from a single amino acid substitution in the L protein.

cpts530, a candidate live-virus vaccine, is an attenuated strain of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It was derived by subjecting a cold-passaged (cp) strain of RSV to a single round of chemical mutagenesis. cpts530 is a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant that is attenuated in mice and chimpanzees, and its ts phenotype exhibits a high level of stability during replication in both species. In the present study, the complete nucleotide sequence of cpts530 RSV was determined. The five mutations known to be present in the parent cpRSV were retained in its cpts530 derivative, and one additional nucleotide change was identified at nucleotide (nt) 10060, which resulted in a phenylalanine-to-leucine change at amino acid 521 in the large polymerase (L) protein. To determine if this single amino acid substitution was indeed responsible for the ts phenotype of cpts530, it was introduced alone or in combination with the cp mutations into the full-length cDNA clone of the wild-type A2 RSV. Analysis of infectious viruses recovered from mutant cDNAs indicated that this single mutation specified complete restriction of plaque formation of recombinant cp530 in HEp-2 cell monolayer cultures at 40 degrees C, and the level of temperature sensitivity was not influenced by the presence of the five cpRSV mutations. These findings identify the phenylalanine-to-leucine change at amino acid 521 in the L protein as the mutation that specifies the ts phenotype of cpts530. Furthermore, these findings illustrate the feasibility of using the cDNA-based recovery system to analyze and construct defined attenuated vaccine viruses.

HN Protein↗

PubMed1997

Current status of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) vaccine development: memorandum from a joint WHO/NIAID meeting.

A Joint WHO/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) meeting on the current status of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) vaccine development was held in Bethesda, MD, from 30 September to 1 October 1996. The meeting summarized the worldwide impact of RSV and PIV3; presented the current status of development of RSV and PIV3 vaccines; and examined the applications of recombinant DNA technology to the development and characterization of vaccines and to the understanding of viral pathogenesis.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Nucleotide sequence analysis of the respiratory syncytial virus subgroup A cold-passaged (cp) temperature sensitive (ts) cpts-248/404 live attenuated virus vaccine candidate.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the RSV cpts-248/404 live attenuated vaccine candidate was determined from cloned cDNA and was compared to that of the RSV A2/HEK7 wild-type, cold-passaged cp-RSV, and cpts-248 virus, which constitute the series of progenitor viruses. RSV cpts-248/404 is more attenuated and more temperature sensitive (ts) (shut-off temperature 36 degrees) than its cpts-248 parent virus (shut-off temperature 38 degrees) and is currently being evaluated in phase I clinical trials in humans. Our ultimate goal is to identify the genetic basis for the host range attenuation phenotype exhibited by cp-RSV (i.e., efficient replication in tissue culture but decreased replication in chimpanzees and humans) and for the ts and attenuation phenotypes of its chemically mutagenized derivatives, cpts-248 and cpts-248/404. Compared with its cpts-248 parent, the cpts-248/404 virus possesses an amino acid change in the polymerase (L) protein and a single nucleotide substitution in the M2 gene start sequence. In total, the cpts-248/404 mutant differs from its wild-type RSV A2/HEK7 progenitor in seven amino acids [four in the polymerase (L) protein, two in the fusion (F) glycoprotein, and one in the (N) nucleoprotein] and one nucleotide difference in the M2 gene start sequence. Heterogeneity at nucleotide position 4 (G or C, negative sense, compared to G in the RSV A2/HEK7 progenitor) in the leader region of vRNA developed during passage of the cpts-248/404 in tissue culture. Biologically cloned derivatives of RSV cpts-248/404 virus that differed at position 4 possessed the same level of temperature sensitivity and exhibited the same level of replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract of mice, suggesting that heterogeneity at this position is not clinically relevant. The determination of the nucleotide sequence of the cpts-248/404 virus will allow evaluation of the stability of the eight mutations that are associated with the attenuation phenotype during vaccine production and following replication in humans.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Acquisition of the ts phenotype by a chemically mutagenized cold-passaged human respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate results from the acquisition of a single mutation in the polymerase (L) gene.

A cold-passaged (cp) temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of human respiratory syncytial virus designated RSV cpts-248 was previously derived by random chemical mutagenesis of the non-ts mutant cp-RSV that possesses one or more host range mutations. We previously demonstrated in rodents and seronegative chimpanzees that the cpts-248 virus is more attenuated than cp-RSV and is more stable genetically than previously isolated RSV ts mutants. In the present study, we determined that the acquisition of the ts phenotype and the increased attenuation of the cpts-248 virus are associated with a single nucleotide substitution at nucleotide 10,989 that results in a change in the coding region (amino acid position 831) of the polymerase gene. The identification of this attenuating ts mutation is important because cpts-248 was used as the parent virus for the generation of a number of further attenuated mutants that are currently being evaluated as candidate vaccine strains in clinical trials in infants. Furthermore, technology now exists to rationally design new vaccine candidates by incorporating multiple attenuating mutations, such as the one identified here, into infectious viruses that are genetically stable and appropriately attenuated.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Development of a replication-deficient recombinant vaccinia virus vaccine effective against parainfluenza virus 3 infection in an animal model.

The highly attenuated, replication-deficient, modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) was used to express the fusion (F) and/or hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) glycoproteins of parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3). Initial recombinant viruses in which the HN gene was regulated by a very strong synthetic earlyllate promoter replicated poorly in permissive chick embryo cells evidently due to toxic levels of the gene product. This result led us to construct and evaluate a modified earlyllate promoter derived from the H5 gene of vaccinia virus. Reporter gene experiments indicated that the enhanced H5 promoter was about five times stronger than the 7.5 promoter used in previous recombinant vaccinia/ PIV3 viruses. Although the overall expression from the modified H5 promoter was less than that of the strong synthetic promoter, early expression, determined in the presence of an inhibitor of DNA replication, was higher. Importantly, recombinant MVA employing the modified H5 promoter to regulate the F or HN gene of PIV3 replicated to high titers in chick cells and expressed functional F or HN proteins as measured by syncytial formation upon dual infection of mammalian cells. Cotton rats inoculated with recombinant MVA expressing F or HN by intramuscular or intranasal routes produced high levels of antibody. The virus expressing HN, however, was the more effective of the two in inducing immunity to PIV3 challenge, reducing PIV3 viral titers in the nasal turbinates by at least 4.7 logs and in the lungs by 3.4 logs, similar to that achieved by immunization with PIV3. These studies support further testing of recombinant MVA/PIV3 viruses as safe and effective candidate vaccines.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Effective immunization with live attenuated influenza A virus can be achieved in early infancy. Pediatric Care Center.

The immunogenicity of vaccines can be modified in infancy by maternal antibodies and other immunizations. Hence, the safety and immunogenicity of two doses of 10(7) TCID50 of live, attenuated cold-adapted (ca) influenza A/Kawasaki/86 (H1N1) reassortant virus vaccine given with or apart from childhood immunizations were evaluated in infants, starting at 2, 4, or > 6 months of age, in randomized, double-blind trials. The ca vaccine was safe and did not significantly reduce the immunogenicity of the childhood vaccines in these infants. Infectivity of ca virus (virus shedding, > or = 4-fold rise in serum hemagglutination inhibition antibody titer, or both) was affected by age, quantity of ca virus given, and prior ca virus infection. Two doses of 10(7) TCID50 of ca influenza virus infected all infants, indicating that both doses are probably needed to achieve immunity against influenza in infants < 6 months of age.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMed1996

Live subgroup B respiratory syncytial virus vaccines that are attenuated, genetically stable, and immunogenic in rodents and nonhuman primates.

Optimal immunization of neonates against disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) probably will require multiple doses of a vaccine containing viruses of both subgroups A and B. Live subgroup B RSV mutants were generated containing multiple attenuating mutations, ts (temperature-sensitive) and non-ts (host range), that were introduced by prolonged passage in cell culture or by chemical mutagenesis. The cold-passaged (cp)-52 mutant was restricted in replication compared to wild type virus in rodents and nonhuman primates. In addition, the attenuation phenotype of cp-52 was stable after prolonged replication in immunosuppressed rodents. One or two ts mutations were then introduced into the cp-52 mutant to generate additional candidate vaccine strains that were more attenuated in vivo than the cp-52 parental virus. Tests in humans are being done to determine if one or more of the RSV B-1 mutants exhibit a satisfactory balance between attenuation and immunogenicity.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Evaluation of a live attenuated bovine parainfluenza type 3 vaccine in two- to six-month-old infants.

BACKGROUND: A safe and effective parainfluenza type 3 (PIV-3) virus vaccine is needed to prevent serious PIV-3-associated illness in infants younger than 6 months of age. In previous studies a live bovine PIV-3 (BPIV-3) vaccine, which was developed to prevent human PIV-3 (HPIV-3) disease, was shown to be safe, infectious, immunogenic and phenotypically stable in 6- to 36-month-old infants and children. METHODS: The safety, infectivity and immunogenicity of a single dose of the BPIV-3 vaccine was evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blinded trial in 19 infants 2 to 5.9 months of age and in 11 additional 6- to 36-month-old subjects. RESULTS: The BPIV-3 vaccine was well-tolerated in both age groups and infected 92% of those younger than 6 months and 89% of those older than 6 months of age. Serum hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) antibody responses to HPIV-3 and to BPIV-3, respectively, were detected in 42 and 67% of the younger infants, compared with 70 and 85% of the older subjects. In the younger infants we analyzed the rate of antibody response by titer of maternally acquired antibodies; low titer was defined as a preimmunization serum HAI titer < 1:8 and high titer was defined as a preimmunization serum HAI titer > or = 1:8. Young infants with a low titer of maternally acquired antibodies were significantly more likely to respond to the BPIV-3 vaccine that those with a high titer (89% vs. none for serum HAI response to BPIV-3; P = 0.02, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the BPIV-3 vaccine was safe and infectious in infants younger than 6 months of age and was also immunogenic in the majority of these young infants. Additional studies are needed to determine whether two or more doses will enhance the immunogenicity of the BPIV-3 vaccine in young infants and to assess its safety and immunogenicity when given simultaneously with routine childhood immunizations.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMed1996

Palmitylation of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (H3) is not essential for virus assembly or infectivity.

The C terminus of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) contains three cysteine residues that are highly conserved among HA subtypes, two in the cytoplasmic tail and one in the transmembrane domain. All of these C-terminal cysteine residues are modified by the covalent addition of palmitic acid through a thio-ether linkage. To investigate the role of HA palmitylation in virus assembly, we used reverse genetics technique to introduce substitutions and deletions that affected the three conserved cysteine residues into the H3 subtype HA. The rescued viruses contained the HA of subtype H3 (A/Udorn/72) in a subtype H1 helper virus (A/WSN/33) background. Rescued viruses which do not contain a site for palmitylation (by residue substitution or substitution combined with deletion of the cytoplasmic tail) were obtained. Rescued virions had a normal polypeptide composition. Analysis of the kinetics of HA low-pH-induced fusion of the mutants showed no major change from that of virus with wild-type (wt) HA. The PFU/HA ratio of the rescued viruses grown in eggs ranged from that of virus with wt HA to 16-fold lower levels, whereas the PFU/HA ratio of the rescued viruses grown in MDCK cells varied only 2-fold from that of virus with wt HA. However, except for one rescued mutant virus (CAC), the mutant viruses were attenuated in mice, as indicated by a > or = 400-fold increase in the 50% lethal dose. Interestingly, except for one mutant virus (CAC), all of the rescued mutant viruses were restricted for replication in the upper respiratory tract but much less restricted in the lungs. Thus, the HA cytoplasmic tail may play a very important role in the generation of virus that can replicate in multiple cell types.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Production of infectious human respiratory syncytial virus from cloned cDNA confirms an essential role for the transcription elongation factor from the 5' proximal open reading frame of the M2 mRNA in gene expression and provides a capability for vaccine development.

Infectious human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was produced by the intracellular coexpression of five plasmid-borne cDNAs. One cDNA encoded a complete positive-sense version of the RSV genome (corresponding to the replicative intermediate RNA or antigenome), and each of the other four encoded a separate RSV protein, namely, the major nucleocapsid N protein, the nucleocapsid P phosphoprotein, the major polymerase L protein, or the protein from the 5' proximal open reading frame of the M2 mRNA [M2(ORF1)]. RSV was not produced if any of the five plasmids was omitted. The requirement for the M2(ORF1) protein is consistent with its recent identification as a transcription elongation factor and confirms its importance for RSV gene expression. It should thus be possible to introduce defined changes into infectious RSV. This should be useful for basic studies of RSV molecular biology and pathogenesis; in addition, there are immediate applications to the development of live attenuated vaccine strains bearing predetermined defined attenuating mutations.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1995

A cold-passaged, attenuated strain of human respiratory syncytial virus contains mutations in the F and L genes.

In previous studies, a mutant (cp-RSV) of the RSV A2 strain derived from 52 serial cold passages in bovine embryonic tissue culture was highly attenuated in seropositive adults and children but caused upper respiratory tract disease in seronegative infants. We investigated the genetic basis for this attenuation phenotype by comparing the complete genomic RNA sequence of this virus with the published sequence of strain A2 as well as with that of its unattenuated wild-type parent (HEK-7) virus. RNA was extracted from virions grown in tissue culture, reverse transcribed, amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloned, and sequenced. Changes from the published A2 wild-type sequence were confirmed on independently derived cDNA clones and by direct sequencing of PCR fragments. The HEK-7 parent virus was then analyzed at these positions by direct sequencing of PCR fragments. Fifteen nucleotide differences between the published A2 wild-type virus and cp-RSV were found. None appeared to involve cis-acting RNA sequences. Of the 15 nucleotide differences, only 1 occurred outside a translational open reading frame (ORF), and 2 which did occur within ORFs were silent at the amino acid level. The remaining 12 nucleotide differences encoded amino acid changes. All 3 of the mutations which were silent at the amino acid level, and 8 of the 12 which resulted in amino acid differences, were also present in the HEK-7 parent virus and therefore were not changes acquired during the cold passages. Thus, the remaining 4 nucleotide differences and the attendant 4 amino acid changes are associated with the attenuation phenotype of the cp-RSV. Two of the changes occur in the F gene and two in the L gene. These results confirm the previously described RSV genomic sequence, provide the first sequence of a live attenuated RSV vaccine strain, provide the first sequence of an RSV strain which has been evaluated in chimpanzees and humans, and indicate that attenuation in humans of a pneumovirus can be associated with a relatively small number of nucleotide and amino acid changes.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1995

Are there alternative avian influenza viruses for generation of stable attenuated avian-human influenza A reassortant viruses?

The present study evaluated gull influenza A viruses as donors of attenuating genes for the production of live, attenuated influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 avian-human (ah) reassortant viruses for use as vaccines to prevent disease due to influenza A viruses in humans. The previously evaluated duck influenza A viruses were abandoned as donors of attenuating avian influenza virus genes because clinical evaluation of H1N1 and H3N2 ah reassortant virus vaccines derived from duck viruses documented residual virulence of H1N1 reassortants for seronegative infants and young children. Gull influenza A viruses occupy an independent ecologic niche and are rarely isolated from species other than gulls. The possibility of using gull influenza A viruses as donors of internal gene segments in ah reassortant viruses was evaluated in the present study using three different gull viruses and three human influenza A viruses. Gull-human H3N2 reassortant influenza A viruses with the desired 6-2 genotype (six internal avian influenza virus genes and the two human influenza virus surface glycoprotein genes) were readily generated and were found to be attenuated for squirrel monkeys and chimpanzees. However, ah reassortant viruses with gull and human influenza A H1N1 genes were difficult to generate, and reassortants that had the desired genotype of six gull virus genes with human influenza A H1 and N1 genes were not isolated despite repeated attempts. The gull PB2, NP and NS genes were not present in any of the gull-human H1N1 reassortants generated. The under-representation of these three gene segments suggests that reassortants bearing one or more of these three gene segments might have reduced viability indicative of a functional incompatibility in their gene products. The difficulties encountered in the generation of a 6-2 gull-human H1N1 reassortant virus are sufficient to conclude that the gull influenza A viruses tested would not be useful as donors of sets of six internal genes to attenuate human influenza A viruses. This study also identifies influenza virus gene segments that appear to be incompatible for generation of reassortants. Elucidation of the molecular basis of this restriction may provide information on intergenic interactions involved in virion assembly or packaging.

Animals↗