Studies of adenovirus-SV40 hybrid viruses. IV. An adenovirus type 2 strain carrying the infectious SV40 genome

DNA cloning: a personal view after 40 years

In November 1973, my colleagues A. C. Y. Chang, H. W. Boyer, R. B. Helling, and I reported in PNAS that individual genes can be cloned and isolated by enzymatically cleaving DNA molecules into fragments, linking the fragments to an autonomously replicating plasmid, and introducing the resulting recombinant DNA molecules into bacteria. A few months later, Chang and I reported that genes from unrelated bacterial species can be combined and propagated using the same approach and that interspecies recombinant DNA molecules can produce a biologically functional protein in a foreign host. Soon afterward, Boyer's laboratory and mine published our collaborative discovery that even genes from animal cells can be cloned in bacteria. These three PNAS papers quickly led to the use of DNA cloning methods in multiple areas of the biological and chemical sciences. They also resulted in a highly public controversy about the potential hazards of laboratory manipulation of genetic material, a decision by Stanford University and the University of California to seek patents on the technology that Boyer and I had invented, and the application of DNA cloning methods for commercial purposes. In the 40 years that have passed since publication of our findings, use of DNA cloning has produced insights about the workings of genes and cells in health and disease and has altered the nature of the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. Here, I provide a personal perspective of the events that led to, and followed, our report of DNA cloning.

Plaque purification as a method to mitigate the risk of adventitious-agent contamination in influenza vaccine virus seeds

At present, the seed viruses for the manufacture of licensed seasonal inactivated influenza vaccines in the United States are derived from primary egg isolates as a result of concerns associated with adventitious agents. According to the prevailing view, the passage of influenza viruses through eggs serves as a filtering step to remove potential contaminating viruses. We have investigated the feasibility of addressing adventitious-agent risk by subjecting influenza virus to a plaque-purification procedure using MDCK cells. SV40 and canine adenovirus-1 (representing viruses for which MDCK cells are non-permissive and permissive, respectively) were used as challenge viruses to model agents of concern that might be co-isolated along with the influenza virus. By mixing influenza virus strain A/PR/8/34 with varying amounts of each challenge virus and then performing a plaque assay for influenza virus using MDCK cells, we have attempted to determine the efficiency by which the challenge virus is removed. Our data suggest that substantial removal can be achieved even after a single round of plaque purification. If cell-derived isolates were deemed to be acceptable following a plaque-purification procedure, the manufacture of seasonal influenza vaccine would be facilitated by: (1) the expansion of the repertoire of viruses from which seed virus candidates could be generated for licensed egg-derived vaccines as well as for vaccines manufactured in mammalian cells; and (2) the mitigation of adventitious-agent risk associated with the seed virus, and hence the elimination of the need to passage seed viruses in eggs for vaccines manufactured in mammalian cells.

Characterization of a fused protein specified by the adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 hybrid Ad2+ND1 dp2

The adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid virus Ad2+ND1 dp2 (E. Lukanidin, manuscript in preparation) specified two proteins (molecular weights, 24,000 and 23,000) that are, in part, products of an insertion of SV40 early DNA sequences. This was demonstrated by translation in vitro from viral mRNA that had been selected by hybridization to SV40 DNA. These two phosphorylated, nonvirion proteins were produced late in infection in amounts similar to adenovirus 2 structural proteins and were closely related to each other in tryptic peptide composition. The portion of SV40 DNA (map units 0.17 to 0.22 on the SV40 genome) coding for these proteins was joined to sequences coding for the amino-terminal part of the adenovirus type 2 structural protein IV (fiber). The Ad2+ND1 dp2 23,000- and 24,000-molecular-weight proteins were hybrid polypeptides, with about two-thirds of their tryptic peptides contributed by the fiber protein and the remainder contributed by SV40 T-antigen. They shared with T-antigen (molecular weight, 96,000) a carboxy-terminal proline-rich tryptic peptide. Together, the tryptic peptide composition of these proteins and the known SV40 DNA sequences suggested the reading frame for the translation of T-antigen. The carboxy terminus for T-anigen would then be located on the SV40 genome map next to the TAA terminator triplet at position 0.175, 910 bases away from the cleavage site of the restriction endonuclease EcoRI. Seven host range mutants from Ad2+ND1 dp2 were isolated that had lost the capacity to propagate on monkey cells. They did not induce detectable levels of the hybrid proteins. Three of these mutants had lost the SV40 DNA insertion that codes in part for these proteins. Thus, in analogy to the Ad2+ND1 30,000-molecular-weight protein, the presence of these proteins correlates with the presence of the helper function for adenovirus replication on monkey cells.

Use of nondefective adenovirus-simian virus 40 hybrids for mapping the simian virus 40 genome

A series of viable recombinants between adenovirus 2 (Ad2) and simian virus 40 (SV40) (nondefective Ad2-SV40 hybrids) have been isolated. The members of this series (designated Ad2(+)ND(1) through Ad2(+)ND(5)) differ from one another in the early SV40-specific antigens and the SV40-specific RNA species which they induce in infected cells. They also contain different amounts of SV40 DNA as shown by RNA-DNA hybridization techniques. We have examined the structure of the DNA molecules from these hybrids, using electron microscope heteroduplex mapping techniques. Each hybrid was found to contain a single segment of SV40 DNA of characteristic size covalently inserted at a unique location in the adenovirus 2 DNA molecule. The SV40 segments of the various hybrids formed an overlapping series with a common end point. When the results of the electron microscopic study were combined with data on antigen induction, it was found that a self-consistent map could be constructed which related specific regions of the SV40 genome to the induction of specific antigens. The order of these early SV40 antigen inducing regions in the SV40 DNA segments contained in the nondefective hybrids is: U antigen, tumor specific transplantation antigen, and T antigen with the U antigen region being nearest the common end point.

Studies of nondefective adenovirus 2-simian virus 40 hybrid viruses. 3. Base composition, molecular weight, and conformation of the Ad2+ND genome

The nondefective adenovirus 2 (Ad2)-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid virus, Ad2(+)ND(1), differs from the defective Ad-SV40 hybrid populations previously described, in that this hybrid virus can replicate without the aid of nonhybrid adenovirus helper. Consequently, the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from this virus, which can be obtained free of nonhybrid adenovirus DNA, is well suited for biophysical studies on Ad-SV40 hybrid DNA. Such studies have been performed and demonstrate Ad2(+)ND(1) DNA to have a buoyant density (1.715 g/cm(3)) and thermal denaturation profile (T(m) = 75.1 C) almost identical with nonhybrid Ad2 DNA. Furthermore, its molecular weight, as determined by analytical zone sedimentation and electron microscopy, was 22 x 10(6) to 25 x 10(6) daltons, which is also very similar to that determined for Ad2. Electron micrographs showed all of the hybrid molecules to be double-stranded and linear. By using this determination of the molecular weight of Ad2(+)ND(1) DNA and assuming that 1% of this molecule consists of covalently linked SV40 DNA (see companion paper), we calculate that the hybrid DNA molecule contains 220 x 10(3) to 250 x 10(3) daltons of SV40 DNA, or the equivalent of one-tenth of the SV40 genome.

Studies of nondefective adenovirus 2-simian virus 40 hybrid viruses. II. Relationship of adenovirus 2 deoxyribonucleic acid and simian virus 40 deoxyribonucleic acid in the Ad2+ND genome

A nondefective adenovirus 2 (Ad2)-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid virus, Ad2(+)ND(1), has been plaque-isolated from an Ad2-SV40 hybrid population. This virus, unlike the defective Ad-SV40 hybrid populations previously described, replicates without the aid of nonhybrid adenovirus helper. Consequently, the hybrid virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be obtained free of nonhybrid adenovirus DNA. The DNA of the Ad2(+)ND(1) virus was shown by ribonucleic acid (RNA)-DNA hybridization to consist of nucleotide sequences complementary to Ad2- and SV40-specific RNA. Techniques of equilibrium density and rate zonal centrifugation were employed to demonstrate that these Ad2 and SV40 nucleotide sequences were linked together in the same DNA molecules by alkali-resistant bonds. Calibration curves were established relating the amount of tritium-labeled SV40-specific RNA (prepared in vitro or in vivo) bound to given amounts of SV40 DNA in a hybridization reaction, and these curves were employed to determine the equivalent amount of SV40 DNA in the Ad2(+)ND(1) molecule. From the results obtained, it was estimated that 1% of the Ad2(+)ND(1) DNA consists of SV40 nucleotide sequences.

Adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 hybrid population: evidence for a hybrid deoxyribonucleic acid molecule and the absence of adenovirus-encapsidated circular simian virus 40 deoxyribonucleic acid

The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the adenovirus-encapsidated particles of the adenovirus type 2 (Ad2)-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid population plaque variant (Ad2(++) HEY), known to yield SV40 virus with high efficiency, was studied by equilibrium density centrifugation followed by ribonucleic acid-DNA hybridization employing virus-specific complementary ribonucleic acids synthesized in vitro. These techniques establish linkage between the Ad2 and SV40 components in the adenovirus-encapsidated particles of this population. The linkage is alkali-resistant and presumably covalent; thus, the Ad2 DNA and SV40 DNA are present in a hybrid molecule. Velocity centrifugation studies in alkaline sucrose gradients eliminated the possibility that supercoiled circular SV40 DNA is present in the adenovirus capsids. The DNA obtained from the adenovirus-encapsidated particles of the Ad2(++) HEY population appears to consist of nonhybrid Ad2 DNA and Ad2-SV40 hybrid DNA molecules.

Isolation of two plaque variants from the adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 hybrid population which differ in their efficiency in yielding simian virus 40

Studies on the adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid population demonstrated two genetically stable variants within this population, which were isolated by plaquing in African green monkey kidney cells. These variants were similar in that each induced SV40 T antigen in human embryonic kidney cells and contained similar concentrations of nonhybrid adenovirus type 2 virions and adenovirus-encapsidated particles containing the infectious SV40 genome. These variants differed markedly, however, in their ability to produce SV40 viral antigen in human embryonic kidney cells and the efficiency with which they produce SV40 plaques in monkey cell monolayers. It is postulated that the differences in SV40-yielding efficiency between these variants lie in the nature of the recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid composing the genome of the hybrid particles.

Equilibrium density gradient studies on simian virus 40-yielding variants of the adenovirus type 2-simian virus 40 hybrid population

The simian virus 40 (SV40)-yielding variants of the adenovirus type 2 (Ad.2)-SV40 hybrid (Ad.2(++)) population were studied by means of fixed-angle equilibrium density gradient centrifugation in cesium chloride. The hybrid virions of the Ad.2(++) high-efficiency yielder population banded at densities of 0.004 g/cm(3) lighter than the nonhybrid Ad.2 virions. The degree of separation of the hybrid particles was sufficient to permit greater than 100-fold relative purification by two cycles of centrifugation. Hybrid particles that produce adenovirus plaques in African green monkey kidney cells by two-hit kinetics (one-hit kinetics when assayed on lawns of nonhybrid adenovirus) were not separable from the particles that yield SV40 virus. The hybrid particle in the Ad.2(++) low-efficiency yielder population was not separable from the nonhybrid Ad.2 virions.

Density Differences Between Hybrid and Nonhybrid Particles in Two Adenovirus-Simian Virus 40 Hybrid Populations

The adenovirus 7-simian virus 40 hybrid virus population E46 + was subjected to fixed-angle equilibrium density gradient centrifugation in CsCl. A difference in buoyant density between the hybrid virion and its nonhybrid adenovirus 7 counterpart was noted, the hybrid virion possessing the lower buoyant density. This difference in buoyant density appeared to be accentuated in a population of adenovirus 2 +t7 , a derivative of E46 + in which the adenovirus 7-simian virus 40 genome had been transferred to an adenovirus 2 capsid.

A nondefective (competent) adenovirus-SV40 hybrid isolated from the AD.2-SV40 hybrid population

A new nondefective hybrid virus has been plaque-isolated from the Ad.2-SV40 hybrid population. This virus replicates efficiently with one-hit kinetics in both human embryonic kidney and African green monkey kidney cells, induces an SV40 specific antigen which is detectable by immunofluorescence and complement-fixation using sera from SV40 tumor-bearing hamsters, and produces SV40-specific RNA detectable by DNA-RNA hybridization. The SV40-specific antigen induced by this virus is heat-stable, sensitive to inhibitors of DNA synthesis, serologically different from SV40 T and viral antigens, and is an unrecognized SV40 antigen.

Replication and complementation of human adenoviruses and simian papovavirus at an elevated temperature

The simian papovavirus SV40 replicated as well in simian cells incubated at 41 C as in cells incubated at 37 C, although the latent period was shortened at the elevated temperature. Human adenoviruses differed in their responses to the elevated temperature. Some serotypes, such as 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 16, and 21, replicated as well, or almost as efficiently, in human cells incubated at 41 C as in cells incubated at 37 C, whereas with other serotypes, such as 1, 2, 6, 12, and 14, maximal yields in cultures incubated at 41 C were much lower than the yields from companion cultures incubated at 37 C. This difference was also detected in simian cells co-infected with SV40 and a human adenovirus; maximal complementation occurred with some serotypes at the elevated temperature but not with other serotypes. The degree of complementation observed in the simian cells at 41 C was directly correlated with the ability of the adenovirus to replicate at 41 C in human cells. Therefore, the capacity of SV40 to serve as a helper virus is not affected by the elevated temperature, showing that the complementation event supplied by the simian virus is heat-stable between 37 and 41 C. Maximal complementation appeared to depend upon a characteristic present in the adenovirus genome.

Characterization of the strain of adenovirus type 7 carrying the defective monkey cell-adapting component

The strain of adenovirus type 7 carrying the defective monkey cell-adapting component (MAC) has been further characterized. MAC is more sensitive to inactivation by ultraviolet light than the associated adenovirus, which, in turn, is more rapidly inactivated than complete simian virus 40 (SV40). The 37% dose was 16 sec for MAC, 60 sec for adenovirus, and 84 sec for SV40. Filtration through membranes revealed that both MAC and adenovirus were retained by 100-mmu filters. MAC equilibrated in cesium chloride at the same buoyant density as the complete adenovirions (1.34 g/ml). Deoxyribonucleic acid extracted from green monkey kidney cells infected with MAC-adenovirus 7 did not hybridize in vitro with SV40 complementary ribonucleic acid. The two components (MAC and adenovirus) of the virus population possess such similar biophysical properties that their separation has not yet been achieved. Evidence to date indicates that MAC is probably not derived from SV40.

In vitro transformation by the adenovirus-SV40 hybrid viruses. 3. Morphology of tumors induced with transformed cells

Tumors induced with hamster kidney cells transformed by the adeno 2-, adeno 3-, adeno 7-, and adeno 12-SV40 hybrid viruses, and by adenovirus type 12, were examined histologically. The tumors induced with adeno 2-, adeno 3-, and adeno 7-SV40-transformed cells were similar to tumors induced with SV40-transformed hamster kidney cells but contained cells intermediate in morphology between SV40 and adenovirus tumor cells and occasionally contained nests of adenovirus-like cells. Cells transformed by the adeno 12-SV40 hybrid and by adenovirus type 12 gave rise to morphologically similar tumors. The results suggest that both viral genomes are operative in hybrid-transformed cells but that one genome is apparently responsible for the predominant morphology of the tumor. Evidence that the morphology of a single transformed target cell is determined by the transforming genome was discussed.

In vitro transformation by the adenovirus-SV40 hybrid viruses. II. Characteristics of the transformation of hamster cells by the adeno 2-, adeno 3-, and adeno 12-SV40 viruses

Primary weanling hamster kidney cultures were transformed with the adeno 2-SV40, adeno 3-SV40, and adeno 12-SV40 hybrid viruses and with adenovirus type 12. The transformed cell lines which were established were characterized with respect to morphology, virus and antigen content, and chromosome aberrations. The adeno 2 and adeno 3-SV40 hybrid transformed cells had the morphology and T antigen content characteristic of SV40 transformations; cells transformed by the former hybrid had cytogenetic changes typical of SV40-transformed cells as well. The adeno 12-SV40 transformed cells were similar morphologically to adeno 12-transformed cells, contained both the SV40 and adeno T antigens and demonstrated the karyotypic instability of SV40-transformed cells, indicating that both viral genomes are operative in these cells. Although the results indicate that the SV40 genome in hybrids derived from the moderately or nononcogenic adenoviruses supplies the determinants for most of the characteristics investigated, and perhaps for oncogenesis, evidence was presented which suggests that a portion of a nononcogenic adenovirus genome may be integrated in adeno 2-SV40 transformed cells and directs the synthesis of adenovirus T antigens.

Replication of adenovirus type 7 in monkey cells: a new determinant and its transfer to adenovirus type 2

A strain of human adenovirus type 7, adapted to replication in green-monkey kidney cells, requires the interaction of two particles to initiate plaque formation in the simian cells. One particle is a true adenovirion. The second, apparently defective, consists of a genome carrying amonkey-adapting component in an adenovirus capsid; this genome does not express known SV40 determinants. The addition of human adenovirus type 7 that is not adapted enhances the titer and changesconditions for plaque formation by the adapted virus to a one-particle requirement. Addition of nonadapted human adenovirus type 2 as helper virus results in the transfer of the monkey-adaptingcomponent from adenovirus type 7 to adenovirus type 2. The population containing the adenovirus 2 transcapsidant then has the ability to replicate in simian cells.

Studies of adenovirus-SV40 hybrid viruses. V. Evidence for linkage between adenovirus and SV40 genetic materials

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