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Madzokere ET, Freppel W, Pyke AT, Lynch SE, Mee PT, Doggett SL, Haniotis J, Weir R, Caly L, Druce J, Robson JM, van den Hurk AF, Edwards R, Herrero LJ. Ross River virus genomes from Australia and the Pacific display coincidental and antagonistic codon usage patterns with common vertebrate hosts and a principal vector. Virology 2025; 608:110530. [PMID: 40306107 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2025.110530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2025] [Accepted: 04/10/2025] [Indexed: 05/02/2025]
Abstract
Around 4500 Ross River virus (RRV) human cases are reported in Australia annually. To date, there is no registered nor licenced vaccine to protect against RRV disease. Identifying and substituting preferred with less-preferred codons and dinucleotides is a recognised strategy to attenuate viruses and may prove useful to vaccine development efforts for RRV and other related viruses. Here, we used bioinformatic approaches aimed at assessing evidence of codon usage and dinucleotide bias in 55 RRV whole genomes sampled from humans (Homo sapiens), macropods (Notomacropus agilis), and the Aedes vigilax mosquito. Our results indicate that RRV undergoes positive and negative codon usage bias with natural selection as the major force driving RRV codon usage patterns. RRV displays a bias towards codons with an A or C at the 3rd position while H. sapiens displays a G or C and N. agilis and Ae. vigilax both show bias towards codons with an A or U at the same 3rd position. RRVs codon usage patterns are coincidental to those displayed by common vertebrate hosts and antagonistic to patterns of Ae. vigilax. The coincidental bias identified suggests vertebrate host gene expression greatly influences RRV evolution. In addition, we show that the UG dinucleotides in RRV are overrepresented at all three codon sites, while CA dinucleotides are only overrepresented at codon sites 1-2 and 2-3. These over and under-representations can be exploited to develop attenuated RRV RNA vaccines. The approach utilised here could also be used to develop vaccines for other alphaviruses of global importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene T Madzokere
- Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, Australia.
| | - Wesley Freppel
- Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, Australia.
| | - Alyssa T Pyke
- Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Stacey E Lynch
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, CSIRO, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Peter T Mee
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio Centre for AgriBioscience, 5 Ring Road, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Stephen L Doggett
- Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - John Haniotis
- Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Richard Weir
- Berrimah Veterinary Laboratory, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
| | - Leon Caly
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory of Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Julian Druce
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory of Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Jennifer M Robson
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Andrew F van den Hurk
- Public Health Virology, Forensic and Scientific Services, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Robert Edwards
- College of Science and Engineering, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Lara J Herrero
- Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, Australia.
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Abbo SR, Yan K, Geertsema C, Hick TAH, Altenburg JJ, Nowee G, van Toor C, van Lent JW, Nakayama E, Tang B, Metz SW, Bhowmik R, de Silva AM, Prow NA, Correia R, Alves PM, Roldão A, Martens DE, van Oers MM, Suhrbier A, Pijlman GP. Virus-like particle vaccine with authentic quaternary epitopes protects against Zika virus-induced viremia and testicular damage. J Virol 2025; 99:e0232224. [PMID: 40013767 PMCID: PMC11998496 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02322-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2025] [Accepted: 01/20/2025] [Indexed: 02/28/2025] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) caused unprecedented outbreaks in South America and the Caribbean in 2015-2016, leading primarily to a series of abnormalities in neonates termed congenital Zika syndrome. The threat of ZIKV reemergence has seen the development of multiple ZIKV vaccines that are at the preclinical stage or in early-stage clinical trials. Herein, we describe a pathway to the development of ZIKV vaccines generated using a baculovirus-insect cell expression system, which is widely applied for the manufacture of biologics for human use. Virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines comprising CprME and subviral particle (SVP) vaccines comprising prME were evaluated for their ability to mediate protection against ZIKV challenge in Ifnar1-/- mice. Initial attempts resulted in VLP and SVP vaccines that failed to present quaternary epitopes and did not provide effective protection. To improve the SVP vaccine, two modifications were introduced: firstly, an alanine to cysteine substitution (A264C) in the E domain II region to promote the formation of stabilized E homodimers and, secondly, the use of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cells that had been adapted to grow and produce vaccine at a neutral pH of 7. E homodimers largely retain their pre-fusion conformation at pH 7, which is a requirement for the induction of effective neutralizing antibody responses. The stabilized SVP-A26C vaccine induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies and protected male Ifnar1-/- mice against viremia and testicular damage. Our study reiterates the need to present the immune system with E dimers arranged in authentic quaternary conformations and provides a scalable production method for this novel ZIKV vaccine.IMPORTANCEWe describe the generation of a subviral particle (SVP) vaccine comprising prME proteins of ZIKV, with an envelope protein substitution, A264C, that stabilizes E dimer formation. The SVP vaccine was produced in a novel Sf9 insect cell line adapted to grow in suspension at pH 7. The study highlights the importance of challenge experiments to ascertain whether the responses induced by an experimental vaccine actually mediate protection against virus infection and disease. The study also reiterates the contention that effective flavivirus vaccines need to present the immunogen in an authentic tertiary and quaternary structure with a pre-fusion conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra R. Abbo
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kexin Yan
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Corinne Geertsema
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Tessy A. H. Hick
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jort J. Altenburg
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gwen Nowee
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Chris van Toor
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan W. van Lent
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Eri Nakayama
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Virology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bing Tang
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stefan W. Metz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ryan Bhowmik
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aravinda M. de Silva
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Natalie A. Prow
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ricardo Correia
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula M. Alves
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - António Roldão
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Dirk E. Martens
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Monique M. van Oers
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Suhrbier
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- GVN Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gorben P. Pijlman
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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De Coninck L, Hadermann A, Ingletto L, Colebunders R, Gamnsi Njamnshi K, Njamnshi AK, Mokili JL, Siewe Fodjo JN, Matthijnssens J. Cameroonian blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) harbour a plethora of RNA viruses. Virus Evol 2025; 11:veaf024. [PMID: 40321713 PMCID: PMC12048880 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veaf024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2025] [Accepted: 04/04/2025] [Indexed: 05/08/2025] Open
Abstract
Strong epidemiological evidence suggests that onchocerciasis may be associated with epilepsy-hence the name onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE). However, the pathogenesis of OAE still needs to be elucidated, as recent studies have failed to detect Onchocerca volvulus in the central nervous system of persons with OAE. Therefore, it was suggested that a potentially neurotropic virus transmitted by blackflies could play a role in triggering OAE. To investigate this hypothesis, adult blackflies were collected in an onchocerciasis-endemic area with a high OAE prevalence in the Ntui Health District, Cameroon. A viral particle-based shotgun sequencing approach was used to detect viral sequences in 55 pools of 10 blackflies. A very high abundance of viral reads was detected across multiple (novel) viral families, including viral families associated with human disease. Although no genomes closely related to known neurotropic viruses were found in the blackfly virome, the plethora of novel viruses representing novel species, genera and even families warrant further exploration for their potential to infect vertebrates. These results could serve as a first step for studying the viruses associated with the haematophagous blackfly, which also could be present in their nematode host O. volvulus. Exploring the diversity of viruses in blackflies should be included in the active surveillance of zoonotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lander De Coninck
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 box 1040, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Amber Hadermann
- Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Gouverneur Kinsbergencentrum, Doornstraat 331, Antwerp 2610, Belgium
| | - Ludovica Ingletto
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 box 1040, Leuven 3000, Belgium
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna Via Giuseppe Massarenti 9, Bologna 40138, Italy
| | - Robert Colebunders
- Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Gouverneur Kinsbergencentrum, Doornstraat 331, Antwerp 2610, Belgium
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - John L Mokili
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, United States
| | - Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo
- Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Gouverneur Kinsbergencentrum, Doornstraat 331, Antwerp 2610, Belgium
| | - Jelle Matthijnssens
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Viral Metagenomics, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 box 1040, Leuven 3000, Belgium
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4
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Youle RL, Lista MJ, Bouton C, Kunzelmann S, Wilson H, Cottee MA, Purkiss AG, Morris ER, Neil SJD, Taylor IA, Swanson CM. Structural and functional characterization of the extended-diKH domain from the antiviral endoribonuclease KHNYN. J Biol Chem 2025; 301:108336. [PMID: 39984050 PMCID: PMC11997328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.108336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2024] [Revised: 02/10/2025] [Accepted: 02/13/2025] [Indexed: 02/23/2025] Open
Abstract
Zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) binds CpG dinucleotides in viral RNA and targets them for decay. ZAP interacts with several cofactors to form the ZAP antiviral system, including KHNYN, a multidomain endoribonuclease required for ZAP-mediated RNA decay. However, it is unclear how the individual domains in KHNYN contribute to its activity. Here, we demonstrate that the KHNYN amino-terminal extended-diKH (ex-diKH) domain is required for antiviral activity and present its crystal structure. The structure belongs to a rare group of KH-containing domains, characterized by a noncanonical arrangement between two type 1 KH modules, with an additional helical bundle. N4BP1 is a KHNYN paralog with an ex-diKH domain that functionally complements the KHNYN ex-diKH domain. Interestingly, the ex-diKH domain structure is present in N4BP1-like proteins in lancelets, which are basal chordates, indicating that it is evolutionarily ancient. While many KH domains demonstrate RNA binding activity, biolayer interferometry and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate that the KHNYN ex-diKH domain does not bind RNA. Furthermore, residues required for canonical KH domains to bind RNA are not required for KHNYN antiviral activity. By contrast, an inter-KH domain cleft in KHNYN is a potential protein-protein interaction site, and mutations that eliminate arginine salt bridges at the edge of this cleft decrease KHNYN antiviral activity. This suggests that this domain could be a binding site for an unknown KHNYN cofactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Youle
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - María José Lista
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Clement Bouton
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Kunzelmann
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harry Wilson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Cottee
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew G Purkiss
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth R Morris
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J D Neil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Ian A Taylor
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Chad M Swanson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
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5
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Hall RA, Nguyen W, Khromykh AA, Suhrbier A. Insect-specific virus platforms for arbovirus vaccine development. Front Immunol 2025; 16:1521104. [PMID: 40160816 PMCID: PMC11949993 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1521104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2025] [Indexed: 04/02/2025] Open
Abstract
Certain insect-specific viruses (ISVs), specifically the mosquito alphaviruses, Eilat and Yada Yada viruses, and orthoflaviviruses, Binjari, Aripo, YN15-283-02 and Chaoyang viruses, have emerged as potential platforms for generation of whole virus vaccines for human and veterinary applications. These ISVs are remarkably tolerant of the substitution of their structural polyproteins with those of alphaviruses and orthoflaviviruses that are pathogenic in humans and/or animals. The resulting ISV-based chimeric vaccines have been evaluated in mouse models and have demonstrated safety and efficacy in non-human primates, crocodiles and pigs. Targets include chikungunya, Venezuelan and eastern equine encephalitis, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile viruses. ISV-based chimeric vaccines provide authentically folded tertiary and quaternary whole virion particle structures to the immune system, a key feature for induction of protective antibody responses. These vaccines are manufactured in C6/36 or C7-10 mosquito cell lines, where they grow to high titers, but they do not replicate in vertebrate vaccine recipients. This review discusses the progress of these emerging technologies and addresses challenges related to adjuvanting, safety, and manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy A. Hall
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Wilson Nguyen
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Alexander A. Khromykh
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andreas Suhrbier
- Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Inflammation Biology Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Becker JT, Mickelson CK, Pross LM, Sanders AE, Vogt ER, Shepherd FK, Wick C, Barkhymer AJ, Aron SL, Fay EJ, Harris RS, Langlois RA. Mammalian ZAP and KHNYN independently restrict CpG-enriched avian viruses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.12.23.629495. [PMID: 39763980 PMCID: PMC11703154 DOI: 10.1101/2024.12.23.629495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2025]
Abstract
Zoonotic viruses are an omnipresent threat to global health. Influenza A virus (IAV) transmits between birds, livestock, and humans. Proviral host factors involved in the cross-species interface are well known. Less is known about antiviral mechanisms that suppress IAV zoonoses. We observed CpG dinucleotide depletion in human IAV relative to avian IAV. Notably, human ZAP selectively depletes CpG-enriched viral RNAs with its cofactor KHNYN. ZAP is conserved in tetrapods but we uncovered that avian species lack KHNYN. We found that chicken ZAP does not affect IAV (PR8) or CpG enriched IAV. Human ZAP or KHNYN independently restricted CpG enriched IAV by overexpression in chicken cells or knockout in human cells. Additionally, mammalian ZAP-L and KHNYN also independently restricted an avian retrovirus (ROSV). Curiously, platypus KHNYN, the most divergent from eutherian mammals, was also capable of direct restriction of multiple diverse viruses. We suggest that mammalian KHNYN may be a bona fide restriction factor with cell-autonomous activity. Furthermore, we speculate that through repeated contact between avian viruses and mammalian hosts, protein changes may accompany CpG-biased mutations or reassortment to evade mammalian ZAP and KHNYN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan T Becker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
- Co-corresponding authors
- Lead contact
| | - Clayton K Mickelson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Lauren M Pross
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Autumn E Sanders
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Esther R Vogt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Frances K Shepherd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Chloe Wick
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Alison J Barkhymer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Stephanie L Aron
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Elizabeth J Fay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Reuben S Harris
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA, 78229
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA, 78229
- Co-corresponding authors
| | - Ryan A Langlois
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
- Co-corresponding authors
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7
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Le NPK, Singh PP, Sabir AJ, Trus I, Karniychuk U. Endogenous ZAP is associated with altered Zika virus infection phenotype. Virol J 2024; 21:285. [PMID: 39522048 PMCID: PMC11549788 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02557-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 10/25/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The zinc finger antiviral protein 1 (ZAP) has broad antiviral activity. ZAP is an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene, which itself may enhance type I IFN antiviral response. In a previous study, Zika virus was identified as ZAP-resistant and not sensitive to ZAP antiviral activity. Here, we found that ZAP was associated with the inhibition of Zika virus in Vero cells, in the absence of a robust type I IFN system because Vero cells are deficient for IFN-alpha and -beta. Also, quantitative RNA-seq data indicated that endogenous ZAP is associated with altered global gene expression both in the steady state and during Zika virus infection. Further studies are warranted to elucidate this IFN-alpha and -beta independent anti-Zika virus activity and involvement of ZAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Phuong Khanh Le
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, OH, Columbus, USA
| | - Prince Pal Singh
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, OH, Columbus, USA
- School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Ahmad Jawad Sabir
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA, IL
| | - Ivan Trus
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Dioscuri Centre for RNA-Protein Interactions in Human Health and Disease, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Uladzimir Karniychuk
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, OH, Columbus, USA.
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8
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Castellano LA, McNamara RJ, Pallarés HM, Gamarnik AV, Alvarez DE, Bazzini AA. Dengue virus preferentially uses human and mosquito non-optimal codons. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:1085-1108. [PMID: 39039212 PMCID: PMC11450187 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00052-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Codon optimality refers to the effect that codon composition has on messenger RNA (mRNA) stability and translation level and implies that synonymous codons are not silent from a regulatory point of view. Here, we investigated the adaptation of virus genomes to the host optimality code using mosquito-borne dengue virus (DENV) as a model. We demonstrated that codon optimality exists in mosquito cells and showed that DENV preferentially uses nonoptimal (destabilizing) codons and avoids codons that are defined as optimal (stabilizing) in either human or mosquito cells. Human genes enriched in the codons preferentially and frequently used by DENV are upregulated during infection, and so is the tRNA decoding the nonoptimal and DENV preferentially used codon for arginine. We found that adaptation during single-host passaging in human or mosquito cells results in the selection of synonymous mutations towards DENV's preferred nonoptimal codons that increase virus fitness. Finally, our analyses revealed that hundreds of viruses preferentially use nonoptimal codons, with those infecting a single host displaying an even stronger bias, suggesting that host-pathogen interaction shapes virus-synonymous codon choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana A Castellano
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Ryan J McNamara
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Horacio M Pallarés
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires IIBBA-CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrea V Gamarnik
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires IIBBA-CONICET, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego E Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martín-CONICET, San Martín B1650, Argentina
| | - Ariel A Bazzini
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
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9
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Shao R, Visser I, Fros JJ, Yin X. Versatility of the Zinc-Finger Antiviral Protein (ZAP) As a Modulator of Viral Infections. Int J Biol Sci 2024; 20:4585-4600. [PMID: 39309436 PMCID: PMC11414379 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.98029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is a restriction factor that proficiently impedes the replication of a variety of RNA and DNA viruses. In recent years, the affinity of ZAP's zinc-fingers for single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) rich in CpG dinucleotides was uncovered. High frequencies of CpGs in RNA may suggest a non-self origin, which underscores the importance of ZAP as a potential cellular sensor of (viral) RNA. Upon binding viral RNA, ZAP recruits cellular cofactors to orchestrate a finely tuned antiviral response that limits virus replication via distinct mechanisms. These include promoting degradation of viral RNA, inhibiting RNA translation, and synergizing with other immune pathways. Depending on the viral species and experimental set-up, different isoforms and cellular cofactors have been reported to be dominant in shaping the ZAP-mediated antiviral response. Here we review how ZAP differentially affects viral replication depending on distinct interactions with RNA, cellular cofactors, and viral proteins to discuss how these interactions shape the antiviral mechanisms that have thus far been reported for ZAP. Importantly, we zoom in on the unknown aspects of ZAP's antiviral system and its therapeutic potential to be employed in vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Shao
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Imke Visser
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jelke J Fros
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xin Yin
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
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10
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Sabir AJ, Le NPK, Singh PP, Karniychuk U. Endogenous ZAP affects Zika virus RNA interactome. RNA Biol 2024; 21:1-10. [PMID: 39183472 PMCID: PMC11352719 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2024.2388911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the most recent advances in the analysis of viral RNA-cellular protein interactions is the Comprehensive Identification of RNA-binding Proteins by Mass Spectrometry (ChIRP-MS). Here, we used ChIRP-MS in mock-infected and Zika-infected wild-type cells and cells knockout for the zinc finger CCCH-type antiviral protein 1 (ZAP). We characterized 'ZAP-independent' and 'ZAP-dependent' cellular protein interactomes associated with flavivirus RNA and found that ZAP affects cellular proteins associated with Zika virus RNA. The ZAP-dependent interactome identified with ChIRP-MS provides potential ZAP co-factors for antiviral activity against Zika virus and possibly other viruses. Identifying the full spectrum of ZAP co-factors and mechanisms of how they act will be critical to understanding the ZAP antiviral system and may contribute to the development of antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Jawad Sabir
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nguyen Phuong Khanh Le
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Prince Pal Singh
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Uladzimir Karniychuk
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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11
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de Andrade KQ, Cirne-Santos CC. Antiviral Activity of Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein (ZAP) in Different Virus Families. Pathogens 2023; 12:1461. [PMID: 38133344 PMCID: PMC10747524 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The CCCH-type zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) in humans, specifically isoforms ZAP-L and ZAP-S, is a crucial component of the cell's intrinsic immune response. ZAP acts as a post-transcriptional RNA restriction factor, exhibiting its activity during infections caused by retroviruses and alphaviruses. Its function involves binding to CpG (cytosine-phosphate-guanine) dinucleotide sequences present in viral RNA, thereby directing it towards degradation. Since vertebrate cells have a suppressed frequency of CpG dinucleotides, ZAP is capable of distinguishing foreign genetic elements. The expression of ZAP leads to the reduction of viral replication and impedes the assembly of new virus particles. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these effects have yet to be fully understood. Several questions regarding ZAP's mechanism of action remain unanswered, including the impact of CpG dinucleotide quantity on ZAP's activity, whether this sequence is solely required for the binding between ZAP and viral RNA, and whether the recruitment of cofactors is dependent on cell type, among others. This review aims to integrate the findings from studies that elucidate ZAP's antiviral role in various viral infections, discuss gaps that need to be filled through further studies, and shed light on new potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kívia Queiroz de Andrade
- Laboratory of Immunology of Infectious Disease, Immunology Department, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
| | - Claudio Cesar Cirne-Santos
- Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Marine Biotechnology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-150, RJ, Brazil
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12
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Forni D, Pozzoli U, Cagliani R, Clerici M, Sironi M. Dinucleotide biases in RNA viruses that infect vertebrates or invertebrates. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0252923. [PMID: 37800906 PMCID: PMC10714974 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02529-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Akin to a molecular signature, dinucleotide composition can be exploited by the zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) to restrict CpG-rich (and UpA-rich) RNA viruses. ZAP evolved in tetrapods, and it is not encoded by invertebrates and fish. Because a systematic analysis is missing, we analyzed the genomes of RNA viruses that infect vertebrates or invertebrates. We show that vertebrate single-stranded (ss) RNA(+) viruses and, to a lesser extent, double-stranded RNA viruses tend to have stronger CpG bias than invertebrate viruses. Conversely, ssRNA(-) viruses have similar dinucleotide composition whether they infect vertebrates or invertebrates. Analysis of ssRNA(+) viruses that infect mammals, reptiles, and fish indicated that ZAP is unlikely to be a major driver of CpG depletion. We also show that, compared to other coronaviruses, the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is not homogeneously CpG-depleted. Our study provides new insights into virus evolution and strategies for recoding RNA virus genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Forni
- Bioinformatics Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Uberto Pozzoli
- Bioinformatics Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Rachele Cagliani
- Bioinformatics Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Mario Clerici
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Don C. Gnocchi Foundation ONLUS, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Sironi
- Bioinformatics Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bosisio Parini, Italy
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13
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Bakker JW, Pascoe EL, van de Water S, van Keulen L, de Vries A, Woudstra LC, Esser HJ, Pijlman GP, de Boer WF, Sprong H, Kortekaas J, Wichgers Schreur PJ, Koenraadt CJM. Infection of wild-caught wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and yellow-necked mice (A. flavicollis) with tick-borne encephalitis virus. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21627. [PMID: 38062065 PMCID: PMC10703896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47697-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is expanding to Western European countries, including the Netherlands, but the contribution of different rodent species to the transmission of TBEV is poorly understood. We investigated whether two species of wild rodents native to the Netherlands, the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus and the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis, differ in their relative susceptibility to experimental infection with TBEV. Wild-caught individuals were inoculated subcutaneously with the classical European subtype of TBEV (Neudoerfl) or with TBEV-NL, a genetically divergent TBEV strain from the Netherlands. Mice were euthanised and necropsied between 3 and 21 days post-inoculation. None of the mice showed clinical signs or died during the experimental period. Nevertheless, TBEV RNA was detected up to 21 days in the blood of both mouse species and TBEV was also isolated from the brain of some mice. Moreover, no differences in infection rates between virus strains and mouse species were found in blood, spleen, or liver samples. Our results suggest that the wood mouse and the yellow-necked mouse may equally contribute to the transmission cycle of TBEV in the Netherlands. Future experimental infection studies that include feeding ticks will help elucidate the relative importance of viraemic transmission in the epidemiology of TBEV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian W Bakker
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Emily L Pascoe
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Conservation Genomics Research Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
| | - Sandra van de Water
- Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - Lucien van Keulen
- Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostics Development, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - Ankje de Vries
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lianne C Woudstra
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Helen J Esser
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gorben P Pijlman
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem F de Boer
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Sprong
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Kortekaas
- Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Saint Priest, France
| | - Paul J Wichgers Schreur
- Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
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14
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van Bree JW, Visser I, Duyvestyn JM, Aguilar-Bretones M, Marshall EM, van Hemert MJ, Pijlman GP, van Nierop GP, Kikkert M, Rockx BH, Miesen P, Fros JJ. Novel approaches for the rapid development of rationally designed arbovirus vaccines. One Health 2023; 16:100565. [PMID: 37363258 PMCID: PMC10288159 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases, including those transmitted by mosquitoes, account for more than 17% of infectious diseases worldwide. This number is expected to rise with an increased spread of vector mosquitoes and viruses due to climate change and man-made alterations to ecosystems. Among the most common, medically relevant mosquito-borne infections are those caused by arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), especially members of the genera Flavivirus and Alphavirus. Arbovirus infections can cause severe disease in humans, livestock and wildlife. Severe consequences from infections include congenital malformations as well as arthritogenic, haemorrhagic or neuroinvasive disease. Inactivated or live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are available for a small number of arboviruses; however there are no licensed vaccines for the majority of these infections. Here we discuss recent developments in pan-arbovirus LAV approaches, from site-directed attenuation strategies targeting conserved determinants of virulence to universal strategies that utilize genome-wide re-coding of viral genomes. In addition to these approaches, we discuss novel strategies targeting mosquito saliva proteins that play an important role in virus transmission and pathogenesis in vertebrate hosts. For rapid pre-clinical evaluations of novel arbovirus vaccine candidates, representative in vitro and in vivo experimental systems are required to assess the desired specific immune responses. Here we discuss promising models to study attenuation of neuroinvasion, neurovirulence and virus transmission, as well as antibody induction and potential for cross-reactivity. Investigating broadly applicable vaccination strategies to target the direct interface of the vertebrate host, the mosquito vector and the viral pathogen is a prime example of a One Health strategy to tackle human and animal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce W.M. van Bree
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Imke Visser
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jo M. Duyvestyn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Eleanor M. Marshall
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn J. van Hemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gorben P. Pijlman
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Marjolein Kikkert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Barry H.G. Rockx
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal Miesen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500, HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jelke J. Fros
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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15
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Lista MJ, Witney AA, Nichols J, Davison AJ, Wilson H, Latham KA, Ravenhill BJ, Nightingale K, Stanton RJ, Weekes MP, Neil SJD, Swanson CM, Strang BL. Strain-Dependent Restriction of Human Cytomegalovirus by Zinc Finger Antiviral Proteins. J Virol 2023; 97:e0184622. [PMID: 36916924 PMCID: PMC10062169 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01846-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular antiviral factors that recognize viral nucleic acid can inhibit virus replication. These include the zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP), which recognizes high CpG dinucleotide content in viral RNA. Here, we investigated the ability of ZAP to inhibit the replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Depletion of ZAP or its cofactor KHNYN increased the titer of the high-passage HCMV strain AD169 but had little effect on the titer of the low-passage strain Merlin. We found no obvious difference in expression of several viral proteins between AD169 and Merlin in ZAP knockdown cells, but observed a larger increase in infectious virus in AD169 compared to Merlin in the absence of ZAP, suggesting that ZAP inhibited events late in AD169 replication. In addition, there was no clear difference in the CpG abundance of AD169 and Merlin RNAs, indicating that genomic content of the two virus strains was unlikely to be responsible for differences in their sensitivity to ZAP. Instead, we observed less ZAP expression in Merlin-infected cells late in replication compared to AD169-infected cells, which may be related to different abilities of the two virus strains to regulate interferon signaling. Therefore, there are strain-dependent differences in the sensitivity of HCMV to ZAP, and the ability of low-passage HCMV strain Merlin to evade inhibition by ZAP is likely related to its ability to regulate interferon signaling, not the CpG content of RNAs produced from its genome. IMPORTANCE Determining the function of cellular antiviral factors can inform our understanding of virus replication. The zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) can inhibit the replication of diverse viruses. Here, we examined ZAP interaction with the DNA virus human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). We found HCMV strain-dependent differences in the ability of ZAP to influence HCMV replication, which may be related to the interaction of HCMV strains with the type I interferon system. These observations affect our current understanding of how ZAP restricts HCMV and how HCMV interacts with the type I interferon system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jose Lista
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adam A. Witney
- Institute of Infection & Immunity, St George’s, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jenna Nichols
- MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Davison
- MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Harry Wilson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katie A. Latham
- Institute of Infection & Immunity, St George’s, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin J. Ravenhill
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Nightingale
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J. Stanton
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Michael P. Weekes
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J. D. Neil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chad M. Swanson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Blair L. Strang
- Institute of Infection & Immunity, St George’s, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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16
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Characterization of Live-Attenuated Powassan Virus Vaccine Candidates Identifies an Efficacious Prime-Boost Strategy for Mitigating Powassan Virus Disease in a Murine Model. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11030612. [PMID: 36992196 PMCID: PMC10058527 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11030612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Powassan virus (POWV) is an emerging tick-borne virus and cause of lethal encephalitis in humans. The lack of treatment or prevention strategies for POWV disease underscores the need for an effective POWV vaccine. Here, we took two independent approaches to develop vaccine candidates. First, we recoded the POWV genome to increase the dinucleotide frequencies of CpG and UpA to potentially attenuate the virus by raising its susceptibility to host innate immune factors, such as the zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP). Secondly, we took advantage of the live-attenuated yellow fever virus vaccine 17D strain (YFV-17D) as a vector to express the structural genes pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) of POWV. The chimeric YFV-17D-POWV vaccine candidate was further attenuated for in vivo application by removing an N-linked glycosylation site within the nonstructural protein (NS)1 of YFV-17D. This live-attenuated chimeric vaccine candidate significantly protected mice from POWV disease, conferring a 70% survival rate after lethal challenge when administered in a homologous two-dose regimen. Importantly, when given in a heterologous prime-boost vaccination scheme, in which vaccination with the initial chimeric virus was followed by a protein boost with the envelope protein domain III (EDIII), 100% of the mice were protected without showing any signs of morbidity. Combinations of this live-attenuated chimeric YFV-17D-POWV vaccine candidate with an EDIII protein boost warrant further studies for the development of an effective vaccine strategy for the prevention of POWV disease.
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17
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Odon V, Fiddaman SR, Smith AL, Simmonds P. Comparison of CpG- and UpA-mediated restriction of RNA virus replication in mammalian and avian cells and investigation of potential ZAP-mediated shaping of host transcriptome compositions. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 28:1089-1109. [PMID: 35675984 PMCID: PMC9297844 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079102.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability of zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) to recognize and respond to RNA virus sequences with elevated frequencies of CpG dinucleotides has been proposed as a functional part of the vertebrate innate immune antiviral response. It has been further proposed that ZAP activity shapes compositions of cytoplasmic mRNA sequences to avoid self-recognition, particularly mRNAs for interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) expressed during the antiviral state. We investigated whether restriction of the replication of mutants of influenza A virus (IAV) and the echovirus 7 (E7) replicon with high CpG and UpA frequencies varied in different species of mammals and birds. Cell lines from different bird orders showed substantial variability in restriction of CpG-high mutants of IAV and E7 replicons, whereas none restricted UpA-high mutants, in marked contrast to universal restriction of both mutants in mammalian cells. Dinucleotide representation in ISGs and IFN genes was compared with those of cellular transcriptomes to determine whether potential differences in inferred ZAP activity between species shaped dinucleotide compositions of highly expressed genes during the antiviral state. While mammalian type 1 IFN genes typically showed often profound suppression of CpG and UpA frequencies, there was no oversuppression of either in ISGs in any species, irrespective of their ability to restrict CpG- or UpA-high mutants. Similarly, genome sequences of mammalian and avian RNA viruses were compositionally equivalent, as were IAV strains recovered from ducks, chickens and humans. Overall, we found no evidence for host variability in inferred ZAP function shaping host or viral transcriptome compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Odon
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Steven R Fiddaman
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian L Smith
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Simmonds
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
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18
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He Z, Qin L, Xu X, Ding S. Evolution and host adaptability of plant RNA viruses: Research insights on compositional biases. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2600-2610. [PMID: 35685354 PMCID: PMC9160401 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
During recent decades, many new emerging or re-emerging RNA viruses have been found in plants through the development of deep-sequencing technology and big data analysis. These findings largely changed our understanding of the origin, evolution and host range of plant RNA viruses. There is evidence that their genetic composition originates from viruses, and host populations play a key role in the evolution and host adaptability of plant RNA viruses. In this mini-review, we describe the state of our understanding of the evolution of plant RNA viruses in view of compositional biases and explore how they adapt to the host. It appears that adenine rich (A-rich) coding sequences, low CpG and UpA dinucleotide frequencies and lower codon usage patterns were found in the vast majority of plant RNA viruses. The codon usage pattern of plant RNA viruses was influenced by both natural selection and mutation pressure, and natural selection mostly from hosts was the dominant factor. The codon adaptation analyses support that plant RNA viruses probably evolved a dynamic balance between codon adaptation and deoptimization to maintain efficient replication cycles in multiple hosts with various codon usage patterns. In the future, additional combinations of computational and experimental analyses of the nucleotide composition and codon usage of plant RNA viruses should be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen He
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road No. 48, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road No. 48, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
- Corresponding author.
| | - Lang Qin
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road No. 48, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Xiaowei Xu
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road No. 48, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Shiwen Ding
- School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road No. 48, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
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19
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Gaunt ER, Digard P. Compositional biases in RNA viruses: Causes, consequences and applications. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2022; 13:e1679. [PMID: 34155814 PMCID: PMC8420353 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
If each of the four nucleotides were represented equally in the genomes of viruses and the hosts they infect, each base would occur at a frequency of 25%. However, this is not observed in nature. Similarly, the order of nucleotides is not random (e.g., in the human genome, guanine follows cytosine at a frequency of ~0.0125, or a quarter the number of times predicted by random representation). Codon usage and codon order are also nonrandom. Furthermore, nucleotide and codon biases vary between species. Such biases have various drivers, including cellular proteins that recognize specific patterns in nucleic acids, that once triggered, induce mutations or invoke intrinsic or innate immune responses. In this review we examine the types of compositional biases identified in viral genomes and current understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underpinning these trends. Finally, we consider the potential for large scale synonymous recoding strategies to engineer RNA virus vaccines, including those with pandemic potential, such as influenza A virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Virus 2. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Evolution and Genomics > Computational Analyses of RNA RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R. Gaunt
- Department of Infection and ImmunityThe Roslin Institute, The University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Paul Digard
- Department of Infection and ImmunityThe Roslin Institute, The University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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20
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Forni D, Cagliani R, Pontremoli C, Clerici M, Sironi M. The substitution spectra of coronavirus genomes. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:bbab382. [PMID: 34518866 PMCID: PMC8499949 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has triggered an unprecedented international effort to sequence complete viral genomes. We leveraged this wealth of information to characterize the substitution spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 and to compare it with those of other human and animal coronaviruses. We show that, once nucleotide composition is taken into account, human and most animal coronaviruses display a mutation spectrum dominated by C to U and G to U substitutions, a feature that is not shared by other positive-sense RNA viruses. However, the proportions of C to U and G to U substitutions tend to decrease as divergence increases, suggesting that, whatever their origin, a proportion of these changes is subsequently eliminated by purifying selection. Analysis of the sequence context of C to U substitutions showed little evidence of apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC)-mediated editing and such contexts were similar for SARS-CoV-2 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus sampled from different hosts, despite different repertoires of APOBEC3 proteins in distinct species. Conversely, we found evidence that C to U and G to U changes affect CpG dinucleotides at a frequency higher than expected. Whereas this suggests ongoing selective reduction of CpGs, this effect alone cannot account for the substitution spectra. Finally, we show that, during the first months of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread, the frequency of both G to U and C to U substitutions increased. Our data suggest that the substitution spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 is determined by an interplay of factors, including intrinsic biases of the replication process, avoidance of CpG dinucleotides and other constraints exerted by the new host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Forni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Rachele Cagliani
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Chiara Pontremoli
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Mario Clerici
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Don C. Gnocchi Foundation ONLUS, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Sironi
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
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21
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Sertkaya H, Hidalgo L, Ficarelli M, Kmiec D, Signell AW, Ali S, Parker H, Wilson H, Neil SJ, Malim MH, Vink CA, Swanson CM. Minimal impact of ZAP on lentiviral vector production and transduction efficiency. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 23:147-157. [PMID: 34703838 PMCID: PMC8517000 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The antiviral protein ZAP binds CpG dinucleotides in viral RNA to inhibit replication. This has likely led to the CpG suppression observed in many RNA viruses, including retroviruses. Sequences added to retroviral vector genomes, such as internal promoters, transgenes, or regulatory elements, substantially increase CpG abundance. Because these CpGs could allow retroviral vector RNA to be targeted by ZAP, we analyzed whether it restricts vector production, transduction efficiency, and transgene expression. Surprisingly, even though CpG-high HIV-1 was efficiently inhibited by ZAP in HEK293T cells, depleting ZAP did not substantially increase lentiviral vector titer using several packaging and genome plasmids. ZAP overexpression also did not inhibit lentiviral vector titer. In addition, decreasing CpG abundance in a lentiviral vector genome did not increase its titer, and a gammaretroviral vector derived from murine leukemia virus was not substantially restricted by ZAP. Overall, we show that the increased CpG abundance in retroviral vectors relative to the wild-type retroviruses they are derived from does not intrinsically sensitize them to ZAP. Further understanding of how ZAP specifically targets transcripts to inhibit their expression may allow the development of CpG sequence contexts that efficiently recruit or evade this antiviral system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helin Sertkaya
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Laura Hidalgo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Mattia Ficarelli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Dorota Kmiec
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Adrian W. Signell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Sadfer Ali
- Cell & Gene Therapy Platform, Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Hannah Parker
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Harry Wilson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Stuart J.D. Neil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Michael H. Malim
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Conrad A. Vink
- Cell & Gene Therapy Platform, Medicinal Science and Technology, GSK, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Chad M. Swanson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
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22
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Kmiec D, Lista MJ, Ficarelli M, Swanson CM, Neil SJD. S-farnesylation is essential for antiviral activity of the long ZAP isoform against RNA viruses with diverse replication strategies. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009726. [PMID: 34695163 PMCID: PMC8568172 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is a broad inhibitor of virus replication. Its best-characterized function is to bind CpG dinucleotides present in viral RNAs and, through the recruitment of TRIM25, KHNYN and other cofactors, target them for degradation or prevent their translation. The long and short isoforms of ZAP (ZAP-L and ZAP-S) have different intracellular localization and it is unclear how this regulates their antiviral activity against viruses with different sites of replication. Using ZAP-sensitive and ZAP-insensitive human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1), which transcribe the viral RNA in the nucleus and assemble virions at the plasma membrane, we show that the catalytically inactive poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) domain in ZAP-L is essential for CpG-specific viral restriction. Mutation of a crucial cysteine in the C-terminal CaaX box that mediates S-farnesylation and, to a lesser extent, the residues in place of the catalytic site triad within the PARP domain, disrupted the activity of ZAP-L. Addition of the CaaX box to ZAP-S partly restored antiviral activity, explaining why ZAP-S lacks antiviral activity for CpG-enriched HIV-1 despite conservation of the RNA-binding domain. Confocal microscopy confirmed the CaaX motif mediated localization of ZAP-L to vesicular structures and enhanced physical association with intracellular membranes. Importantly, the PARP domain and CaaX box together jointly modulate the interaction between ZAP-L and its cofactors TRIM25 and KHNYN, implying that its proper subcellular localisation is required to establish an antiviral complex. The essential contribution of the PARP domain and CaaX box to ZAP-L antiviral activity was further confirmed by inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication, which replicates in double-membrane vesicles derived from the endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, compartmentalization of ZAP-L on intracellular membranes provides an essential effector function in ZAP-L-mediated antiviral activity against divergent viruses with different subcellular replication sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Kmiec
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - María José Lista
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mattia Ficarelli
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chad M. Swanson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J. D. Neil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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23
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Lin YT, Chau LF, Coutts H, Mahmoudi M, Drampa V, Lee CH, Brown A, Hughes DJ, Grey F. Does the Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein (ZAP) Shape the Evolution of Herpesvirus Genomes? Viruses 2021; 13:1857. [PMID: 34578438 PMCID: PMC8473364 DOI: 10.3390/v13091857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
An evolutionary arms race occurs between viruses and hosts. Hosts have developed an array of antiviral mechanisms aimed at inhibiting replication and spread of viruses, reducing their fitness, and ultimately minimising pathogenic effects. In turn, viruses have evolved sophisticated counter-measures that mediate evasion of host defence mechanisms. A key aspect of host defences is the ability to differentiate between self and non-self. Previous studies have demonstrated significant suppression of CpG and UpA dinucleotide frequencies in the coding regions of RNA and small DNA viruses. Artificially increasing these dinucleotide frequencies results in a substantial attenuation of virus replication, suggesting dinucleotide bias could facilitate recognition of non-self RNA. The interferon-inducible gene, zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is the host factor responsible for sensing CpG dinucleotides in viral RNA and restricting RNA viruses through direct binding and degradation of the target RNA. Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses that comprise three subfamilies, alpha, beta and gamma, which display divergent CpG dinucleotide patterns within their genomes. ZAP has recently been shown to act as a host restriction factor against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a beta-herpesvirus, which in turn evades ZAP detection by suppressing CpG levels in the major immediate-early transcript IE1, one of the first genes expressed by the virus. While suppression of CpG dinucleotides allows evasion of ZAP targeting, synonymous changes in nucleotide composition that cause genome biases, such as low GC content, can cause inefficient gene expression, especially in unspliced transcripts. To maintain compact genomes, the majority of herpesvirus transcripts are unspliced. Here we discuss how the conflicting pressures of ZAP evasion, the need to maintain compact genomes through the use of unspliced transcripts and maintaining efficient gene expression may have shaped the evolution of herpesvirus genomes, leading to characteristic CpG dinucleotide patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Tang Lin
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Long-Fung Chau
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Hannah Coutts
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Matin Mahmoudi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Vayalena Drampa
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Chen-Hsuin Lee
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Alex Brown
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
| | - David J. Hughes
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9ST, UK;
| | - Finn Grey
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK; (Y.-T.L.); (L.-F.C.); (H.C.); (M.M.); (V.D.); (C.-H.L.); (A.B.)
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24
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Insect-Specific Flavivirus Replication in Mammalian Cells Is Inhibited by Physiological Temperature and the Zinc-Finger Antiviral Protein. Viruses 2021; 13:v13040573. [PMID: 33805437 PMCID: PMC8066048 DOI: 10.3390/v13040573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Flavivirus contains pathogenic vertebrate-infecting flaviviruses (VIFs) and insect-specific flaviviruses (ISF). ISF transmission to vertebrates is inhibited at multiple stages of the cellular infection cycle, via yet to be elucidated specific antiviral responses. The zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) in vertebrate cells can bind CpG dinucleotides in viral RNA, limiting virus replication. Interestingly, the genomes of ISFs contain more CpG dinucleotides compared to VIFs. In this study, we investigated whether ZAP prevents two recently discovered lineage II ISFs, Binjari (BinJV) and Hidden Valley viruses (HVV) from replicating in vertebrate cells. BinJV protein and dsRNA replication intermediates were readily observed in human ZAP knockout cells when cultured at 34 °C. In ZAP-expressing cells, inhibition of the interferon response via interferon response factors 3/7 did not improve BinJV protein expression, whereas treatment with kinase inhibitor C16, known to reduce ZAP’s antiviral function, did. Importantly, at 34 °C, both BinJV and HVV successfully completed the infection cycle in human ZAP knockout cells evident from infectious progeny virus in the cell culture supernatant. Therefore, we identify vertebrate ZAP as an important barrier that protects vertebrate cells from ISF infection. This provides new insights into flavivirus evolution and the mechanisms associated with host switching.
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