AcMNPV in permissive, semipermissive, and nonpermissive cell lines from Arthropoda

Unraveling dual fusion mechanisms in BmNPV GP64: critical roles of CARC motifs and signal peptide retention

Viral membrane fusion is a critical process enabling viruses to invade host cells, driven by viral membrane fusion proteins (MFPs). Cholesterol plays a pivotal role in this process, which is essential for the infectivity of many enveloped viruses. The interaction between MFPs and cholesterol is often facilitated by specific amino acid motifs known as cholesterol recognition/interaction amino acid consensus (CRAC) motifs and reverse CARC motifs. In a previous study, we demonstrated that CRAC1 and CRAC2 in GP64 are required for Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection. This study further investigates the role of CARC in the GP64 protein of BmNPV, revealing their complex interaction with cholesterol and the influence of signal peptide (SP) retention on viral infectivity. We identified six putative CARC motifs in GP64 and generated mutants to assess their function. Our findings show that CARC1, CARC2, CARC3, and CARC4 are indispensable for viral fusion and infection when the SP is retained, whereas only CARC2 and CARC3 remain essential after SP cleavage. In contrast, CARC1 and CARC4 are necessary for viral infection through a cholesterol-independent mechanism resulting from double mutations in the CRAC1 and CRAC2 motifs of GP64. These insights not only deepen our understanding of BmNPV GP64-mediated fusion but also highlight potential antiviral targets, underscoring the adaptability and resilience of viral fusion mechanisms.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding viral membrane fusion mechanisms is crucial for developing antiviral strategies. This study provides novel insights into the intricate roles of CARC and CRAC motifs in the GP64 protein of BmNPV, particularly their interaction with cholesterol and the influence of signal peptide retention. The discovery that certain CARC motifs are essential for cholesterol-dependent fusion, whereas others function in a cholesterol-independent context advances our understanding of viral fusion processes. These findings emphasize the potential of targeting CARC motifs for therapeutic interventions and underline the importance of cholesterol interactions in viral infections. This research not only deepens our understanding of BmNPV fusion mechanisms but also has broader implications for other enveloped viruses.

Metabolic reprogramming of Helicoverpa armigera larvae by HearNPV facilitates viral replication and host immune suppression

Baculoviruses are highly evolved parasites that genetically reprogram the developing phenotype of their host insect to produce a vessel for virus replication and dispersal. Here we show that larvae of Helicoverpa armigera infected with HearNPV accumulate glucose in the midgut, which reduces food consumption and alters the dynamics of pathways governing metabolism and immunity. We used transcriptomics to demonstrate the role of the insulin signalling pathway in regulating the HearNPV infection process. Dietary restriction decreased mortality of infected larvae and reduced viral replication prior to death, whereas dietary supplementation with glucose produced the opposite effects. The expression of most tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and energy metabolism-related genes was reduced in infected larvae, whereas the expression of immunity-, glycolysis- and insulin-related genes was enhanced. Treatment of infected larvae with insulin increased their survival, reduced viral replication and inhibited climbing behaviour compared to a control treatment with DMSO, whereas RNAi suppression of the insulin receptor gene produced the opposite effects. Inhibition of glycolysis with dichloroacetate (DCA) promoted viral replication and accelerated larval death, but inhibition of the TCA cycle with 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) did not, although both diminished climbing behaviour. This work demonstrates that successful baculovirus infections hinge on metabolic reprogramming of the host and concurrent suppression of immune responses in the larval midgut, with the insulin signalling pathway mediating a trade-off between glucose metabolism and virus resistance.

A database of crop pest cell lines

We have developed an online database describing the known cell lines from Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera that were developed from agricultural pests. Cell line information has been primarily obtained from previous compilations of insect cell lines. We conducted in-depth Internet literature searches and drew on Internet sources such as the Cellosaurus database (https://web.expasy.org/cellosaurus/), and inventories from cell line depositories. Here, we report on a new database of insect cell lines, which covers 719 cell lines from 86 species. We have not included cell lines developed from Drosophila because they are already known from published databases, such as https://dgrc.bio.indiana.edu/cells/Catalog. We provide the designation, tissue and species of origin, cell line developer, unique characteristics, its use in various applications, publications, and patents, and, when known, insect virus susceptibility. This information has been assembled and organized into a searchable database available at the link https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/aginsectcellsdatabase which will be updated on an ongoing basis.

NISES-AnPe-428 cell line derived from the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi is permissive for multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus species from insects of four different families

The cell line NISES-AnPe-428 (AnPe), derived from the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi, was characterized for its permissiveness and productivity for six different nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) species. These NPVs included homologous Antheraea pernyi NPV (AnpeNPV) and heterologous Autographa californica multiple NPV (AcMNPV), Bombyx mori NPV (BmNPV), Hyphantria cunea MNPV (HycuMNPV), Spodoptera exigua MNPV (SeMNPV), and Lymantria dispar MNPV (LdMNPV), representing viruses that had been isolated from insect species belonging to five different families (Saturniidae, Noctuidae, Bombycidae, Arctiidae, and Lymantriidae). We found that AnPe cells supported productive replication of AnpeNPV, AcMNPV, BmNPV, HycuMNPV, and SeMNPV to varying degrees. Upon infection with SeMNPV, a subset of AnPe cell population in the culture underwent apoptosis, while remaining cells produced limited amounts of progeny virions and polyhedra. AnPe cells were refractory to LdMNPV infection and failed to support replication of viral DNA, indicating that viral replication was restricted at or prior to the step of viral DNA replication. These results indicated that AnPe cells have the potential to provide excellent systems for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular permissiveness for NPV replication and host-range determination of NPVs.

Host permissiveness to baculovirus influences time-dependent immune responses and fitness costs

Insects possess specific immune responses to protect themselves from different types of pathogens. Activation of immune cascades can inflict significant developmental costs on the surviving host. To characterize infection kinetics in a surviving host that experiences baculovirus inoculation, it is crucial to determine the timing of immune responses. Here, we investigated time-dependent immune responses and developmental costs elicited by inoculations from each of two wild-type baculoviruses, Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and Helicoverpa zea single nucleopolyhedrovirus (HzSNPV), in their common host H. zea. As H. zea is a semi-permissive host of AcMNPV and fully permissive to HzSNPV, we hypothesized there are differential immune responses and fitness costs associated with resisting infection by each virus species. Newly molted 4th-instar larvae that were inoculated with a low dose (LD₁₅ ) of either virus showed significantly higher hemolymph FAD-glucose dehydrogenase (GLD) activities compared to the corresponding control larvae. Hemolymph phenoloxidase (PO) activity, protein concentration and total hemocyte numbers were not increased, but instead were lower than in control larvae at some time points post-inoculation. Larvae that survived either virus inoculation exhibited reduced pupal weight; survivors inoculated with AcMNPV grew slower than the control larvae, while survivors of HzSNPV pupated earlier than control larvae. Our results highlight the complexity of immune responses and fitness costs associated with combating different baculoviruses.

Inhibition of dicer activity in lepidopteran and dipteran cells by baculovirus-mediated expression of Flock House virus B2

Prior studies have suggested that insect DNA viruses are negatively affected by dicer-2-mediated RNA interference (RNAi). To examine this further, we utilized an in vitro assay to measure dicer activity in lepidopteran and dipteran cells, combined with baculoviruses expressing the RNAi suppressor B2 from Flock House virus or Aedes aegypti dicer-2 (Aedicer-2) using a constitutive heat shock promoter. Addition of cell lysates containing baculovirus-expressed B2 to lysates from dipteran (S2, Aag2) or lepidopteran (Sf9) cells inhibited endogenous dicer activity in a dose-dependent manner, while expression of Aedicer-2 restored siRNA production in Ae. albopictus C6/36 cells, which are dicer-2 defective. However, B2 expression from the constitutive heat shock promoter had no impact on baculovirus replication or virulence in cell lines or larvae that were either highly permissive (Trichoplusia ni) or less susceptible (Spodoptera frugiperda) to infection. We determined that this constitutive level of B2 expression had little to no ability to suppress dicer activity in cell lysates, but higher expression of B2, following heat shock treatment, inhibited dicer activity in all cells tested. Thus, we cannot rule out the possibility that optimized expression of B2 or other RNAi suppressors may increase baculovirus replication and expression of heterologous proteins by baculoviruses.

The Coming Age of Insect Cells for Manufacturing and Development of Protein Therapeutics

Protein therapeutics is a rapidly growing segment of the pharmaceutical market. Currently, the majority of protein therapeutics are manufactured in mammalian cells for their ability to generate safe and efficacious human-like glycoproteins. The high cost of using mammalian cells for manufacturing has motivated a constant search for alternative host platforms. Insect cells have begun to emerge as a promising candidate, largely due to the development of the baculovirus expression vector system. While there are continuing efforts to improve insect-baculovirus expression for producing protein therapeutics, key limitations including cell lysis and the lack of homogeneous humanized glycosylation still remain. The field has started to see a movement toward virus-less gene expression approaches, notably the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats to address these shortcomings. This review highlights recent technological advances that are realizing the transformative potential of insect cells for the manufacturing and development of protein therapeutics.

Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), a new model to study iflaviral persistence in lepidopterans

The cell line IPLB-LD-652Y, derived from the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.), is routinely used to study interactions between viruses and insect hosts. Here we report the full genome sequence and biological characteristics of a small RNA virus, designated Lymantria dispar iflavirus 1 (LdIV1), that was discovered to persistently infect IPLB-LD-652Y. LdIV1 belongs to the genus Iflavirus. LdIV1 formed icosahedral particles of approx. 30 nm in diameter and contained a 10 044 nt polyadenylated, positive-sense RNA genome encoding a predicted polyprotein of 2980 aa. LdIV1 was induced by a viral suppressor of RNA silencing, suggesting that acute infection is restricted by RNA interference (RNAi). We detected LdIV1 in all tested tissues of gypsy-moth larvae and adults, but the virus was absent from other L. dispar-derived cell lines. We confirmed LdIV1 infectivity in two of these cell lines (IPLB-LD-652 and IPLB-LdFB). Our results provide a novel system to explore persistent infections in lepidopterans and a new model for the study of iflaviruses, a rapidly expanding group of viruses, many of which covertly infect their hosts.

Tissue tropism of the Musca domestica salivary gland hypertrophy virus

The tissue tropism of Musca domestica salivary gland hypertrophy virus (MdSGHV) infecting adult house flies was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and quantitative real-time PCR. TEM demonstrated that characteristic MdSGHV-induced nuclear and cellular hypertrophy was restricted to the salivary glands. Both nucleocapsids and enveloped virions were present in salivary gland cells. In contrast, thin sections of midguts, ovaries, abdominal fat body, crops, air sacs and brains showed the presence of enveloped virions in vacuoles of tracheal cells associated with these tissues. However, no sites of viral morphogenesis were detected in the tracheal cells. Quantitative analysis of MdSGHV DNA and transcript titers revealed that viral DNA was present in all hemolymph and tissue samples collected from MdSGHV-infected flies. Average numbers of MdSGHV genome copies per 50 ng of DNA varied significantly between examined tissues and ranged from 3.83 × 10(8) (±3.75 × 10(7)) in salivary gland samples to 7.98 × 10(5) (±2.91 × 10(5)) in hemolymph samples. High levels of viral genome copies were detected in midgut, fat body and brain samples. Viral transcripts were present in all examined samples, and transcript abundance was also at the highest level in salivary glands and at the lowest level in hemolymph. However, over the range of different tissues that were analyzed, there was no correlation between estimated quantities of genome copies and viral transcripts. The function of viral transcripts in host tissues that do not show sites of viral morphogenesis remains to be elucidated.

Characterization of a new insect cell line (NTU-YB) derived from the common grass yellow butterfly, Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus) (Pieridae: Lepidoptera) and its susceptibility to microsporidia

A new lepidopteran cell line, NTU-YB, was derived from pupal tissue of Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus) (Pieridae: Lepidoptera). The doubling time of YB cells in TNM-FH medium supplemented with 8% FBS at 28 degrees C was 26.87h. The chromosome numbers of YB cells varied widely from 21 to 196 with a mean of 86. Compared to other insect cell lines, the YB cells produced distinct esterase, malate dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase isozyme patterns. Identity of the internal transcribed spacer region-I (ITS-I) of YB cells to E. hecabe larvae was 96% and to Eurema blanda larvae (tissue isolated from head) was 81%. The YB cells were permissive to Nosema sp. isolated from E. blanda and the infected YB cells showed obvious cytopathic effects after 3weeks post inoculation. The highest level of spore production was at 4weeks post inoculation when cells were infected with the Nosema isolate, and spore production was 1.34+/-0.9x10(6)spore/ml. Ultrastructrual studies showed that YB cells can host in vitro propagation of the E. blanda Nosema isolate, and developing stages were observed in the host cell nuclei as observed in the natural host, E. blanda. The NTU-YB cell line is also susceptible to Nosema bombycis.

Baculovirus DNA replication-specific expression factors trigger apoptosis and shutoff of host protein synthesis during infection

Apoptosis is an important antivirus defense. To define the poorly understood pathways by which invertebrates respond to viruses by inducing apoptosis, we have identified replication events that trigger apoptosis in baculovirus-infected cells. We used RNA silencing to ablate factors required for multiplication of Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV). Transfection with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) complementary to the AcMNPV late expression factors (lefs) that are designated as replicative lefs (lef-1, lef-2, lef-3, lef-11, p143, dnapol, and ie-1/ie-0) blocked virus DNA synthesis and late gene expression in permissive Spodoptera frugiperda cells. dsRNAs specific to designated nonreplicative lefs (lef-8, lef-9, p47, and pp31) blocked late gene expression without affecting virus DNA replication. Thus, both classes of lefs functioned during infection as defined. Silencing the replicative lefs prevented AcMNPV-induced apoptosis of Spodoptera cells, whereas silencing the nonreplicative lefs did not. Thus, the activity of replicative lefs or virus DNA replication is sufficient to trigger apoptosis. Confirming this conclusion, AcMNPV-induced apoptosis was suppressed by silencing the replicative lefs in cells from a divergent species, Drosophila melanogaster. Silencing replicative but not nonreplicative lefs also abrogated AcMNPV-induced shutdown of host protein synthesis, suggesting that virus DNA replication triggers inhibition of host biosynthetic processes and that apoptosis and translational arrest are linked. Our findings suggest that baculovirus DNA replication triggers a host cell response similar to the DNA damage response in vertebrates, which causes translational arrest and apoptosis. Pathways for detecting virus invasion and triggering apoptosis may therefore be conserved between insects and mammals.

Isolation and characterization of a baculovirus associated with the insect parasitoid wasp, Cotesia marginiventris, or its host, Trichoplusia ni

A multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (MNPV) was isolated from Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae that had been stung by the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The wild type virus was plaque purified by infecting a Heliothis subflexa (BCIRL- HsAM1) cell line and isolating several clones. The mean estimated genomic size of this virus based on PstI, BstEII, StyI, HindIII restriction profiles was estimated to be 106 +/- 2.5 kbp (mean+/-SE). A clone designated as TnMNPV/CmBCL9 was used in bioassays against several lepidopteran pests and in comparative studies with the baculoviruses AcMNPV, AgMNPV, AfMNPV, PxMNPV and HzSNPV of Autographa califomica, Anticarsia gemmatalis, Anagrapha falcifera, Plutella xylostella, and Helicoverpa zea, respectively. Infectivity studies showed that TnMNPV/CmBCL9 was highly infectious for Heliothis subflexa and T. ni, with an LC(50) value 0.07 occlusion bodies/mm(2) in both species and also infectious for H. zea and Heliothis virescens with LC(50) values of 0.22 and 0.27 occlusion bodies/mm(2), respectively. Restriction endonuclease analysis of the isolate and selected baculoviruses revealed profiles that were very similar to AfMNPV but different from the restriction endonuclease profiles of the other baculoviruses. Hybridization studies suggest that the TnMNPV/CmBCL9 was closely related to AfMNPV and AcMNPV-HPP. Further support for this comes from a phylogenetic analysis employing a split-graphs network, comparing the polh, egt, and p10 genes from TnMNPV/CmBCL9 with those from other baculoviruses and suggests that this virus is closely related to the AcMNPV variants, AfMNPV and RoMNPV of Rachiplusia ou.

In vitro host range of the Hz-1 nonoccluded virus in insect cell lines

A total of 13 insect cell lines spanning 4 orders (Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Homoptera) were tested for their ability to replicate the nonoccluded virus Hz-1. Only the Lepidopteran cell lines supported replication of the virus with TN-CL1 and BCIRL-HZ-AM1 producing the highest titers of 2.4 x 10(8) tissue culture infective dose (TCID)50/ml and 2.0 x 10(8) TCID50/ml, respectively. A codling moth cell line (CP-169) was the only Lepidopteran cell line that did not replicate the virus and transfection of this cell line with Hz-1 DNA failed to replicate the virus. Also, transfection with DNA from a recombinant baculovirus carrying the red fluorescent protein gene (AcMNPVhsp70 Red) was not expressed in CP-169 cells. The replication cycle of Hz-1 in BCIRL-HZ-AM1 cells showed that this virus replicated rapidly starting at 16 h postinoculation (p.i.) and reaching a peak titer of 1.0 x 10(8) TCID50/ml 56 h postinoculation. Hz-1 when compared with several other baculoviruses has the widest in vitro host spectrum.