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Molecular epidemiology of Bluetongue virus in northern Colorado.

The molecular epidemiology of Bluetongue virus serotype 11 (BTV11) in an enzootic focus in northern Colorado was investigated. Viruses isolated up to 12 years apart, from both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, were compared by phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequence data from three genome segments: L2, S7, and S10. For each segment, viruses isolated from ruminants in the 1980s were more similar to one another than to viruses isolated from Culicoides spp. insects in the 1990s. Nearly identical BTV11-L2 segments were found in all isolates, but over time they were associated with different S7 and S10 genome segments. Therefore, L2-segment-based serologic identification of BTV isolates underestimates the origin and natural evolution of the viruses. In addition, the use of one or even two genome segments is inadequate to define the molecular epidemiology of the viruses in an enzootic focus. This information could influence import/export regulations based on BTV epidemiology in enzootic areas, as well as our view of the natural biology of the viruses.

Animals↗

Cell motility and cell morphology: how some viruses take control.

Viruses replicate inside host cells, where they use host biochemical and structural components to facilitate the production of new virus particles. As a consequence of co-evolution with their hosts, viruses have acquired host genes and genetic mutations that confer dominance over normal cell function. Research on virus-cell interactions has focused on the identification of mechanisms of virus dominance in order to develop therapeutic strategies for preventing productive infection. Although such research remains an essential part of molecular virology, viruses are also important genetic tools that can be used to analyse cell function. Because virus genomes contain genetic information, some of which was derived from host cells, it is possible that the analyses of virus-host interactions might lead to the identification of functionally dominant virus genes and novel eukaryotic counterparts. In this article, we have described how transforming and non-transforming viruses can control cell motility (cell migration or membrane projection), and explained how the analysis of virus cytopathic effects (CPEs) led to the identification of a novel family of cellular genes that regulate diverse aspects of cell motility.

Journal Article↗

Molecular evolution and phylogeny of the human AIDS viruses LAV, HTLV-III, and ARV.

A phylogenetic tree for the human lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), the human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type III (HTLV-III), and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated retrovirus (ARV) has been constructed from comparisons of the amino acid sequences of their gag proteins. A method is proposed for estimating the divergence times among these AIDS viruses and the rates of nucleotide substitution for their RNA genomes. The analysis indicates that the LAV and HTLV-III strains diverged from one another after 1977 and that their common ancestor diverged from the ARV virus no more than 10 years earlier. Hence, the evolutionary diversity among strains of the AIDS viruses apparently has been generated within the last 20 years. It is estimated that the genome of the AIDS virus has a nucleotide substitution rate on the order of 10(-3) per site per year, with the rate in the second half of the genome being double that in the first half.

Biological Evolution↗

Evolution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus during sequential passages in pigs.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) viruses are recognized as possessing a high degree of genetic and antigenic variability. Viral diversity has led to questions regarding the association of virus mutation and persistent infection in the host and has raised concerns vis-à-vis protective immunity, the ability of diagnostic assays to detect novel variants, and the possible emergence of virulent strains. The purpose of this study was to describe ongoing changes in PRRS virus during replication in pigs under experimental conditions. Animals were inoculated with a plaque-cloned virus derived from VR-2332, the North American PRRS virus prototype. Three independent lines of in vivo replication were maintained for 367 days by pig-to-pig passage of virus at 60-day intervals. A total of 315 plaque-cloned viruses were recovered from 21 pigs over the 367-day observation period and compared to the original plaque-cloned virus by virus neutralization assay, monoclonal antibody analysis, and sequencing of open reading frames (ORFs) 1b (replicase), 5 (major envelope protein), and 7 (nucleocapsid) of the genome. Variants were detected by day 7 postinoculation, and multiple variants were present concurrently in every pig sampled over the observation period. Sequence analysis showed ORFs 1b and 7 to be highly conserved. In contrast, sequencing of ORF 5 disclosed 48 nucleotide variants which corresponded to 22 amino acid variants. Although no epitopic changes were detected under the conditions of this experiment, PRRS virus was shown to evolve continuously in infected pigs, with different genes of the viral genome undergoing various degrees of change.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Evolution of the hemagglutinin gene of influenza A virus H1N1-subtype (1977-1983].

A scheme for evolutionary interrelations of the H1-subunits of influenza hemagglutinin genes is proposed for the natural variants of influenza A virus of the H1N1-subtype. It is based on experimental data obtained by the authors and those reported in the literature. Differences among these viral isolates in their amino acid sequences and in the reaction of hemagglutinin inhibition obtained with a set of monoclonal antibodies are compared. The distinctions in the ability of the viruses to react with several monoclonal antibodies are attributed to differences in the primary structures of their hemagglutinins. Some aspects of hemagglutinin gene evolution are discussed in relation to vaccination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The origin and evolution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSV) are divided into North American and European types, which show about 40% difference in their amino acid sequences. The divergence time of these two types has been estimated to be about 1980 from epidemiological data. This suggested that PRRSV have evolved at a higher evolutionary rate (order of 10(-2)/site/year) compared with other RNA viruses of 10(-3) to 10(-5)/site/year. Here, to test the evolutionary history of PRRSV speculated by the epidemiological background, we estimated the divergence time and evolutionary rate of PRRSV with molecular evolutionary analysis. Estimated divergence time (1972-1988) corresponded well to that estimated by the epidemiological data, and the evolutionary rate (4.71-9.8) x 10(-2) of PRRSV was indeed the highest among RNA viruses so far reported. Furthermore, we inferred important sites for the adaptation in order to examine how PRRSV have adapted to swine since they emerged. The adaptive sites were located not only in the epitopes related to immunity but also in the transmembrane regions including a signal peptide. In particular, the adaptive sites in the transmembrane regions were considered to affect compatibility to the host cell membrane. We conclude that PRRSV were transmitted from another host species to swine in about 1980 and have adapted to swine by altering the transmembrane regions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genetic variability of natural populations of cotton leaf curl geminivirus, a single-stranded DNA virus

Reports on the genetic variability and evolution of natural populations of DNA viruses are scarce in comparison with the abundant information on the variability of RNA viruses. Geminiviruses are plant viruses with circular ssDNA genomes that are replicated by the host plant DNA polymerases. Whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses (WTG) are the agents of important diseases of crop plants and best exemplify emerging plant viruses. In this report we have analyzed the genetic diversity of cotton leaf curl geminivirus (CLCuV), a typical emerging WTG. No genetic differentiation was observed between isolates from different host plant species or geographic regions. Thus, the analyzed isolates represented a unique, undifferentiated population. Genetic variability, estimated as nucleotide diversities at synonymous positions in open reading frames (ORFs) for the AC1 (=replication) protein and coat protein (CP = AV1), was very high, exceeding the values reported for different genes in several plant and animal RNA viruses. This was unexpected in a virus that uses the DNA replication machinery of its eukaryotic host. Diversities at nonsynonymous positions, on the other hand, indicated that variability may be constrained in the genome of CLCuV. The ratio of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitutions varied for the different ORFs: they were higher for CP than for AC1 and lower still for the AC4 and AV2 ORFs, which overlap AC1 and CP ORFs, respectively. Analysis of nucleotide diversities at synonymous and nonsynonymous positions of the AC4 and AV2 ORFs suggest that their evolution is constrained by AC1 and CP, respectively. Data suggest that AC4 and AV2 are new genes that may have originated by overprinting on the preexistent AC1 and CP genes. Evidence for recombination was found for the AC1 and CP ORFs and for the noncoding intergenic region (IR). Data indicate that the origin of replication is a major recombination point in the IR, but not the only one. Analyses of the IR also suggest that recombinants may be frequent in the population and that recombination may have an important role in the generation of CLCuV variability.

Journal Article↗

Reconstructing the origins of human hepatitis viruses.

Infections with hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV) are widespread in human populations throughout the world, and are major causes of chronic liver disease and liver cancer. HBV, HCV and the related hepatitis G virus or GB virus C (referred to here as HGV/GBV-C) are capable of establishing persistent, frequently lifelong infections characterized by high levels of continuous replication. All three viruses show substantial genetic heterogeneity, which has allowed each to be classified into a number of distinct genotypes that have different geographical distributions and associations with different risk groups for infection. Information on their past transmission and epidemiology might be obtained by estimation of the time of divergence of the different genotypes of HCV, HBV and HGV/GBV-C using knowledge of their rates of sequence change. While information on the latter is limited to short observation periods and is therefore subject to considerable error and uncertainty, the relatively recent times of origin for genotype of each virus predicted by this method (HCV, 500-2000 years; HBV, 3000 years; HGV/GBV-C, 200 years) are quite incompatible with their epidemiological distributions in human populations. They also cannot easily be reconciled with the recent evidence for species-associated variants of HBV and HGV/GBV-C in a range of non-human primates. The apparent conservatism of viruses over long periods implied by their epidemiological distributions instead suggests that nucleotide sequence change may be subject to constraints peculiar to viruses with single-stranded genomes, or with overlapping reading frames that defy attempts to reconstruct evolution according to the principles of the 'molecular clock'. Large population sizes and intense selection pressures that optimize fitness may be additional factors that set virus evolution apart from that of their hosts.

Animals↗

Unusual evolution of an Epstein-Barr virus-associated leiomyosarcoma occurring after liver transplantation.

We report the case of a child who developed, 2 yr after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) for biliary atresia, a multi-focal hepatic tumor with lymphonodular metastases, identified as an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated leiomyosarcoma. Chemotherapy was given without tumor response. Subsequently, slow growth of the tumor was observed. Immunosuppression was tapered and stopped 9 yr after transplantation. At the present time, 12 yr after the discovery of the first hepatic lesions, the patient is alive and completely symptom-free, the abdominal masses are stable, and liver function tests are completely normal. Smooth muscle tumors are increasingly recognized in children with various immunodeficiencies occurring after organ transplantation. This unusual evolution of a clinically aggressive tumor into a stable disease after restoration of immunity confirms that the immune status of the patient is a crucial factor.

Biliary Atresia↗

Molecular evolution of the human immunodeficiency and related viruses.

A phylogenetic tree for different human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 (HIV1) and type 2 (HIV2), lentiviruses, and oncoviruses has been constructed by comparing the nucleotide sequences of the two regions of their pol genes that encode the reverse transcriptase and endonuclease/integrase. The analysis indicates that (1) different HIV1 strains form one cluster and their common ancestor diverged from the ancestor of HIV2, (2) the common ancestor of the HIV1 and HIV2 strains diverged from that of the lentivirus, and (3) the common ancestor of the lentivirus group and that of the oncoviruses diverged earlier than that. Divergence between the HIV1 and HIV2 strains seems to have occurred greater than 200 years ago, implying that AIDS has existed for a long time but went undetected. Furthermore, nonsynonymous changes are occurring uniformly through time, whereas synonymous changes are more variable among different lineages.

Base Sequence↗

Evolution of CXCR4-using human immunodeficiency virus type 1 SF162 is associated with two unique envelope mutations.

CCR5-using human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates typically gain CXCR4 use via multiple mutations in V3 and often V1/V2 regions of envelope, and patterns of mutations are distinct for each isolate. Here, we report that multiple CXCR4-using variants of a parental CCR5-using HIV-1 isolate, SF162, obtained by either target cell selection or CCR5 inhibition have a common mutation pattern characterized by the same two V3 mutations and that these mutations preexisted in some of the SF162 stocks. These results imply that SF162 has a single pathway for acquiring CXCR4 use and that prolonged culture is sufficient to select for R5X4 variants.

Cells, Cultured↗

Evolutionary history of Cucumber mosaic virus deduced by phylogenetic analyses.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is an RNA plant virus with a tripartite genome and an extremely broad host range. Previous evolutionary analyses with the coat protein (CP) and 5' nontranslated region (NTR) of RNA 3 suggested subdivision of the virus into three groups, subgroups IA, IB, and II. In this study 15 strains of CMV whose nucleotide sequences have been determined were used for a complete phylogenetic analysis of the virus. The trees estimated for open reading frames (ORFs) located on the different RNAs were not congruent and did not completely support the subgrouping indicated by the CP ORF, indicating that different RNAs had independent evolutionary histories. This is consistent with a reassortment mechanism playing an important role in the evolution of the virus. The evolutionary trees of the 1a and 3a ORFs were more compact and displayed more branching than did those of the 2a and CP ORFs. This may reflect more rigid host-interactive constraints exerted on the 1a and 3a ORFs. In addition, analysis of the 3' NTR that is conserved among all RNAs indicated that evolutionary constraints on this region are specific to the RNA component rather than the virus isolate. This indicates that functions other than replication are encoded in the 3' NTR. Reassortment may have led to the genetic diversity found among CMV strains and contributed to its enormous evolutionary success.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Feline sarcoma virus P115-associated protein kinase phosphorylates tyrosine. Identification of a cellular substrate conserved during evolution.

The Gardner strain of feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) has previously been shown to encode as its major translational product, a phosphoprotein of molecular weight (Mr) = 115,000 (P115) with an associated protein kinase activity and probable transforming function. In the present study, we demonstrate that this enzyme specifically phosphorylates tyrosine and that Gardner FeSV-transformed mink and rat cells exhibit constitutively higher levels of phosphotyrosine than nontransformed control cells. In addition, we identify a Mr = 150,000 cellular substrate for the FeSV P115-associated protein kinase activity. This latter protein, designated P150, is expressed in cells of a number of mammalian species including cat, mink, dog, rat, mouse and human, possesses broadly reactive interspecies antigenic determinants, and exhibits binding affinity for FeSV P115. Although P150 exhibits an associated protein kinase activity, this activity differs from the FeSV P115-associated enzyme in that it phosphorylates serine and threonine rather than tyrosine. On the basis of immunologic criteria and tryptic peptide analysis, the possibility that P150 is structurally related to Gardner FeSV P115 is excluded. As a consequence of its affinity for FeSV P115, P150 is efficiently incorporated into FeSV pseudotype virions, providing a source for its purification and preparation of antisera for study of its expression in mammalian cells.

Molecular Weight↗

Getting to know HIV.

Since the Human Immunodeficiency Virus was first isolated in 1983, we have come to know it in exquisite detail. Yet we still do not understand sufficiently how it causes disease. Neither do we know why chimpanzees and some African monkeys, which are the natural reservoir of the precursors of HIV-1 and HIV-2, can harbour similar levels of virus without becoming ill. Our knowledge of the replication cycle of HIV as a retrovirus has been pivotal in the development of antiviral drugs. Our knowledge of the cellular tropism and cell surface receptors exploited by the virus help to explain the pattern of immune deficiency, wasting and dementia that make up the clinical dimensions of AIDS. The extraordinary rate of genetic and phenotypic evolution of the virus - both within the infected individual and across the worldwide pandemic - partially explains why no vaccine constructs to date have been successful. HIV comprises just 9 genes but represents one of humanity's most formidable foes.

Animals↗

Correlation between env V1/V2 region diversification and neutralizing antibodies during primary infection by simian immunodeficiency virus sm in rhesus macaques.

Evolution of the domain encoding the V1/V2 variable region of the simian immunodeficiency virus sm (SIVsm) envelope (env) gene was analyzed in relation to route of virus challenge, virus load, and neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers during primary infection of rhesus macaques with the pathogenic SIVsmE660 isolate. In this model system animals are initially infected with multiple viruses as evidenced by the presence of multiple V1/V2 genotypic variants that could be resolved by using a heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA). Overlapping subsets of the multiple variants were established in each animal. There was no selection for the establishment of specific variants in comparing intravenous- and intrarectal-challenged macaques at week 2 postinfection, suggesting that no genotypic selection occurred at the mucosal surface. There was an initial period of significant stability of the V1/V2 variants. Macaques challenged intravenously displayed subsequent V1/V2 diversification significantly earlier than macaques challenged intrarectally and well past the initial resolution of viremia. The time when SIVsmE660-specific NAbs reached a threshold titer of 100 was significantly correlated with the timing of V1/V2 diversification, even though antibodies to the Env protein could be detected much earlier. The time when NAbs reached a titer of 400 was significantly correlated with virus load late in infection. These results show that the route of infection affects the timing of V1/V2 diversification and that this diversification is correlated with the maturation of a specific NAb response. However, prior immunization capable of priming an anamnestic Env antibody response did not accelerate V1/V2 diversification. This result suggests that diversification of the SIV env V1/V2 region is the result of a type-specific antibody response.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Reassortment of Thogoto virus (a tick-borne influenza-like virus) in a vertebrate host.

Reassortment is an important factor in the evolution of segmented genome viruses. For arthropod-borne viruses it is important to determine whether the vertebrate host acts as a site of reassortant virus formation since vertebrates often act as amplifying hosts. Mutants of Thogoto virus, a tick-borne orthomyxo-like virus, were shown to produce wild-type progeny in a dually infected permissive host (hamster), when hamsters were infected with two mutant viruses either by direct inoculation or by oral transmission from infected ticks. Viral dose and time of co-infection of the host affected the incidence of reassortment. This is the first report of reassortment of an arbovirus following infection of a vertebrate host via an arthropod vector.

Animals↗