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Noor F, Ashfaq UA, Asif M, Adeel MM, Alshammari A, Alharbi M. Comprehensive computational analysis reveals YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides across HFRS causing Hantaviruses and their association with viral pathogenesis and host immune regulation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1031608. [PMID: 36275660 PMCID: PMC9584616 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1031608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute zoonotic disease transmitted through aerosolized excrement of rodents. The etiology of HFRS is complex due to the involvement of viral factors and host immune and genetic factors. The viral species that dominantly cause HFRS are Puumala virus (PUUV), Seoul virus (SEOV), Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), and Hantaan virus (HTNV). Despite continuous prevention and control measures, HFRS remains a significant public health problem worldwide. The nucleocapsid protein of PUUV, SEOV, DOBV, and HTNV is a multifunctional viral protein involved in various stages of the viral replication cycle. However, the exact role of nucleoproteins in viral pathogenesis is yet to be discovered. Targeting a universal host protein exploited by most viruses would be a game-changing strategy that offers broad-spectrum solutions and rapid epidemic control. The objective of this study is to understand the replication and pathogenesis of PUUV, SEOV, DOBV, and HTNV by targeting tyrosine-based motif (YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V]) and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides. In the light of the current study, in silico analysis uncovered many different YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motifs and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides within nucleoproteins of PUUV, SEOV, DOBV, and HTNV. Following that, the 3D structures of nucleoproteins were predicted using AlphaFold2 to map the location of YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides in a 3D environment. Further, in silico analysis and characterization of Post Translational Modifications (PTMs) revealed multiple PTMs sites within YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides, which contribute to virulence and host immune regulation. Our study proposed that the predicted YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides may confer specific functions such as virulence, host immune regulation, and pathogenesis to nucleoproteins of PUUV, SEOV, DOBV, and HTNV. However, in vivo and in vitro studies on YXXΦ[I/L/M/F/V] motif and YXXΦ-like tetrapeptides will assign new biological roles to these antiviral targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Noor
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Usman Ali Ashfaq,
| | - Muhammad Asif
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Muzammal Adeel
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Kakkanas A, Karamichali E, Koufogeorgou EI, Kotsakis SD, Georgopoulou U, Foka P. Targeting the YXXΦ Motifs of the SARS Coronaviruses 1 and 2 ORF3a Peptides by In Silico Analysis to Predict Novel Virus-Host Interactions. Biomolecules 2022; 12:1052. [PMID: 36008946 PMCID: PMC9405953 DOI: 10.3390/biom12081052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The emerging SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 belong to the family of "common cold" RNA coronaviruses, and they are responsible for the 2003 epidemic and the current pandemic with over 6.3 M deaths worldwide. The ORF3a gene is conserved in both viruses and codes for the accessory protein ORF3a, with unclear functions, possibly related to viral virulence and pathogenesis. The tyrosine-based YXXΦ motif (Φ: bulky hydrophobic residue-L/I/M/V/F) was originally discovered to mediate clathrin-dependent endocytosis of membrane-spanning proteins. Many viruses employ the YXXΦ motif to achieve efficient receptor-guided internalisation in host cells, maintain the structural integrity of their capsids and enhance viral replication. Importantly, this motif has been recently identified on the ORF3a proteins of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Given that the ORF3a aa sequence is not fully conserved between the two SARS viruses, we aimed to map in silico structural differences and putative sequence-driven alterations of regulatory elements within and adjacently to the YXXΦ motifs that could predict variations in ORF3a functions. Using robust bioinformatics tools, we investigated the presence of relevant post-translational modifications and the YXXΦ motif involvement in protein-protein interactions. Our study suggests that the predicted YXXΦ-related features may confer specific-yet to be discovered-functions to ORF3a proteins, significant to the new virus and related to enhanced propagation, host immune regulation and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanassios Kakkanas
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (E.K.); (E.I.K.); (U.G.)
| | - Eirini Karamichali
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (E.K.); (E.I.K.); (U.G.)
| | - Efthymia Ioanna Koufogeorgou
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (E.K.); (E.I.K.); (U.G.)
| | - Stathis D. Kotsakis
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece;
| | - Urania Georgopoulou
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (E.K.); (E.I.K.); (U.G.)
| | - Pelagia Foka
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115-21 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (E.K.); (E.I.K.); (U.G.)
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Nguyen VG, Do HQ, Huynh TML, Park YH, Park BK, Chung HC. Molecular-based detection, genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of porcine circovirus 4 from Korean domestic swine farms. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:538-548. [PMID: 33529468 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Porcine circovirus 4 (PCV4), a novel and unclassified member of the genus Circovirus, was first reported in China in 2019. Aiming to provide more evidence about the active circulation of PCV4, this study screened 335 pooled internal organs and detected the virus (i) at a rate of 3.28%, (ii) from both clinically healthy and clinically sick pigs of various age groups, and (iii) in six out of nine provinces of Korea. The complete genomic sequence of the Korean PCV4 strain (E115) was 1,770 nucleotides in length and had 98.5%-98.9% identity to three PCV4 strains currently available at GenBank. Utilizing a set of bioinformatic programs, it was revealed that the Korean PCV4 strain contained several genomic features of (i) a palindrome stem-loop structure with a conserved nonanucleotide, (ii) packed overlapping ORFs oriented in different directions and (iii) two intergenic regions in between genes encoding the putative replication-associated protein (Rep) and capsid (Cap) proteins. This study also predicted the presence of essential elements for the replication of circoviruses in all PCV4 strains, for example the origin of DNA replication, endonuclease and helicase domains of Rep, and the nuclear localization signal on the putative Cap protein. Finally, based on the phylogeny inferred from sequences of the putative Rep protein, this study further clarified the genetic relationships between PCV4 and other CRESS DNA viruses in general and circoviruses in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van-Giap Nguyen
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hai-Quynh Do
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Thi-My-Le Huynh
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Yong-Ho Park
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Bong-Kyun Park
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hee-Chun Chung
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Virology Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
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Karamichali E, Chihab H, Kakkanas A, Marchio A, Karamitros T, Pogka V, Varaklioti A, Kalliaropoulos A, Martinez-Gonzales B, Foka P, Koskinas I, Mentis A, Benjelloun S, Pineau P, Georgopoulou U. HCV Defective Genomes Promote Persistent Infection by Modulating the Viral Life Cycle. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2942. [PMID: 30559733 PMCID: PMC6287115 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Defective interfering (DI) RNAs have been detected in several human viruses. HCV in-frame deletions mutants (IFDMs), missing mainly the envelope proteins, have been found in patient sera and liver tissues. IFDMs replicate independently and can be trans-packaged into infectious virions in the presence of full length viral genome. So far, their biological role is unclear. In this study, we have isolated and cloned IFDMs from sera samples and liver tissues of patients infected with HCV genotypes 1b, 2a, and 3a. IFDMs were present in up to 26% of samples tested. Using the in vitro HCV cell culture system, co-expression of the wild type (wt) HCV replicon with HCV IFDMs RNA resulted in increased HCV replication. Additionally, co-transfection of the HCV full length genome RNA and a defective mutant missing the envelope region led to increased viral release, collectively suggesting an important biological role for IFDMs in the virus life cycle. Recently, exosomes, masters of intercellular communication, have been implicated in the transport of HCV viral genomes. We report for the first time that exosomal RNA isolated from HCV sera samples contains HCV defective genomes. We also demonstrate that inhibition of exosomal biogenesis and release influences HCV viral replication. Overall, we provide evidence that the presence of HCV IFDMs affects both viral replication and release. IFDMs exploit exosomes as means of transport, a way to evade the immune system, to spread more efficiently and possibly maintain persistent infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Karamichali
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Hajar Chihab
- Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
| | | | - Agnes Marchio
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM U993, Unité "Organisation Nucléaire et Oncogenèse", Paris, France
| | | | - Vasiliki Pogka
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Agoritsa Varaklioti
- Blood Center and National Centre for Congenital Bleeding Disorders, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Pelagia Foka
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Koskinas
- 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Andreas Mentis
- Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Soumaya Benjelloun
- Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Pascal Pineau
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM U993, Unité "Organisation Nucléaire et Oncogenèse", Paris, France
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