鸭坦布苏病毒Capsid蛋白原核表达及多克隆抗体制备

【目的】本研究选择原核表达系统表达鸭坦布苏病毒(Duck Tembusu virus,DTMUV)核衣壳蛋白(Capsid protein),并制备其多克隆抗体,为DTMUV分子机制研究奠定基础。【方法】根据DTMUV-201909株基因序列,运用一步克隆技术将Capsid基因克隆至表达载体pET-30a(+)中,将重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞,利用IPTG进行诱导表达,通过SDS-PAGE和Western blotting鉴定重组蛋白;使用ISA206佐剂与纯化后的重组蛋白混合乳化后免疫BALB/c小鼠,以获得多克隆抗体。间接ELISA方法测定获得的多克隆抗体效价,并对多克隆抗体进行Western blotting和间接免疫荧光试验(IFA)验证。【结果】试验成功构建pET-30a-Capsid重组质粒,SDS-PAGE结果显示,表达的重组蛋白大小约为18 ku,主要以包涵体形式存在;Western blotting结果表明,该蛋白能与抗His标签鼠单克隆抗体发生特异性反应,具有良好反应原性。间接ELISA结果显示,制备的鼠抗Capisd蛋白多克隆抗体效价可达1∶256000;Western blotting和IFA结果显示,制备的多克隆抗体能特异性识别DTMUV感染细胞样品的Capsid蛋白。【结论】本研究成功制备小鼠抗Capsid蛋白多克隆抗体,为深入研究DTMUV Capsid蛋白的结构和功能提供了试验材料,为进一步阐明DTMUV的致病机制奠定基础。

鹅星状病毒重组Capsid蛋白亚单位疫苗的免疫效果

为了研究鹅星状病毒重组Capsid蛋白亚单位疫苗对种鹅的免疫效果,试验用鹅星状病毒重组Capsid蛋白亚单位疫苗对种鹅进行接种,并对种鹅所产蛋孵出的雏鹅进行攻毒,采用琼脂扩散试验法检测鹅血清中GoAs抗体的水平,记录雏鹅攻毒结果。结果显示:三批疫苗免疫28 d后试验组种鹅均有抗体产生;对照组种鹅的抗体均为阴性。试验组雏鹅攻毒后一切正常,存活率100%,无不良临床症状。对照组雏鹅攻毒后第3天精神沉郁、厌食、站立不稳、离群、排稀灰白色或黄绿色粪便,存活率50%,死亡鹅剖检可见关节肿大,关节内和内脏表面有石灰样尿酸盐沉积,肾脏肿大和充血,脾脏出血严重,有灰白色坏死灶。研究结果表明鹅星状病毒重组Capsid蛋白亚单位疫苗免疫效果良好,能有效预防鹅星状病毒的感染。

Bioinformatic Analysis of Non-VP1 Capsid Protein of Coxsackievirus A6

This study bioinformatically analyzed the non-VP1 capsid proteins（VP2-VP4） of Coxasckievirus A6（CVA6）, with an attempt to predict their basic physicochemical properties, structural/functional features and linear B cell eiptopes. The online tools Sub Loc, Target P and the others from Ex PASy Bioinformatics Resource Portal, and SWISS-MODEL（an online protein structure modeling server）, were utilized to analyze the amino acid（AA） sequences of VP2-VP4 proteins of CVA6. Our results showed that the VP proteins of CVA6 were all of hydrophilic nature, contained phosphorylation and glycosylation sites and harbored no signal peptide sequences and acetylation sites. Except VP3, the other proteins did not have transmembrane helix structure and nuclear localization signal sequences. Random coils were the major conformation of the secondary structure of the capsid proteins. Analysis of the linear B cell epitopes by employing Bepipred showed that the average antigenic indices（AI） of individual VP proteins were all greater than 0 and the average AI of VP4 was substantially higher than that of VP2 and VP3. The VP proteins all contained a number of potential B cell epitopes and some eiptopes were located at the internal side of the viral capsid or were buried. We successfully predicted the fundamental physicochemical properties, structural/functional features and the linear B cell eiptopes and found that different VP proteins share some common features and each has its unique attributes. These findings will help us understand the pathogenicity of CVA6 and develop related vaccines and immunodiagnostic reagents.

Expression and Characterization of a Recombinant Truncated Capsid Protein of Hepatitis E Virus in Pichia pastoris

Hepatitis E is an enterically transmitted viral disease caused by infection with hepatitis E virus（HEV）. HEV is a nonenveloped virus that bas been classified in the family of Caliciviridae. The virus appears to be a polya-denylated, positive-stranded RNA virus with three major open reading frames（ORFs）. The capsid protein of HEV is encoded by the open reading frame 2（ORF2）. We attempted to produce a truncated capsid protein, designed p293, in Pichia pastoris. The p293 gene encoding amino acids（aa） 382-674 of HEV ORF2 was designed based on the full length of HEV ORF2, cloned into the yeast vector pPIC9K, and expressed in P. pastoris strain GS 115. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting demonstrated that the recombinant protein p293 could well be expressed in P pastoris. Under optimized conditions （culture medium pH, 6.0-6.5; methanol concentration added daily, 3.0%; inoculum density, OD600=60; induction time point, 72-96 h）, the yield of soluble p293 was approximately 80 mg/L. We also observed p293 secretory expressed in P. pastoris to be 30 nm viral like particles by using electron microscopy. These results show that the p293 may has utility in the analysis of cell specific factors in the protein processing and assembly of HEV, and serve as a useful antigen for both diagnostic and vaccine purposes.

The codon-optimized capsid gene of duck circovirus can be highly expressed in yeast and self-assemble into virus-like particles

The capsid （Cap） protein, which is the only structural protein of duck circovirus （DuCV）, is the most important antigen for the development of vaccines against DuCV and the virus＇s serological diagnostic methods. In order to use yeast expression system to produce a large quantities of DuCVCap protein which is close to its natural form to display the antigen peptides perfectly, the Cap gene was optimized into the codon-optimized capsid （Opt-Cap） gene towards the preference of yeast firstly. Then, the genes of Cap and Opt-Cap were separately cloned into pPIC9K plasmid and transformed into Picha pas- toris GSl15. The strains that displayed the phenotype of Mut~ and contained multiple inserts of expression cassette were selected from those colonies. After the induction expression, the secretory type of Cap protein, which was about 43 kDa, was best expressed under 0.5% （v/v） methanol and sorbitol induction. Compared with the Cap gene, the expression level of Opt-Cap gene was much higher. What＇s more, the purified Cap protein had a good reactivity to its specific polyclone antibody and DuCV-positive serum, and it was able to self-assemble into virus-like particles （VLPs）. These VLPs, with a diameter of 15-20 nm and without a nucleic acid structure, showed a high level of similarity to DuCV particles in size and shape. All of the resultsdemonstrated that, based on the codon-optimization, it is suitable to use the P. pastoris expression system to produce DuCV VLPs on a large scale. It is the first time that a large amounts of DuCV VLPs were produced successfully in P. pastoris, which might be particularly useful for the further studies of serological diagnosis and vaccines of DuCV.

Comparison of transient and stable expression of foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid proteins in mammalian cells

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious disease that produces severe economic losses in the livestock industry. This disease is being controlled by the use of an inactivated vaccine. However, the use of recombinant empty capsids as a subunit vaccine has been reported to be a promising candidate because it avoids the use of virus in the vaccine production. A plasmid containing the capsid precursor P12A and protease 3C sequences of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) was constructed and used to compare transient and stable expression in mammalian cells. When BHK-21 cells were transfected with the recombinant vector, protease 3C cleaved the capsid precursor P12A into the structural proteins VP0, VP1 and VP3. A sucrose gradient demonstrated that the structural proteins assembled into different subviral particles. Attempts to generate a stable cell line only allowed isolating low-level-expressing clones, probably due to the effect of protease 3C on the cells. Moreover, the recombinant protein yield achieved in transient expression assays was much higher than the one achieved in stable expression assays. Results indicate that mammalian cells are a good strategy to produce recombinant FMDV subviral particles. However, the alternative approach of transient gene expression in scalable systems should be used instead of the standard method that involves the generation of a stable cell line.

Homology Modelling and Structural Comparisons of Capsid-Associated Proteins from Circoviruses Reveal Important Virus-Specific Surface Antigens

Circoviridae represent a growing family of small animal viruses. Some of these viruses have veterinary and medical importance, although, a vast amount of these newly discovered viruses have unknown effects on their hosts. The capsid-associated protein (Cap) of circoviruses is of interest because of its role in viral structure, immune evasion, host cell entry, and nuclear shuttling of viral components. The structure of the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) Cap has been solved and offered insight to these functions. Based on the crystallographic PCV2 Cap structure, models from circoviruses isolated from avian, fish, and mammalian hosts have been constructed and analyzed to better understand the roles of these proteins in the virus family. A high degree of conservation is observed in the models, however, the surface antigens differ among viruses. This is likely a reflection of the small genome harbored by circoviruses, and therefore the requirement of their few proteins to carry out specific vital functions, while maintaining enough variation to successfully infect their hosts. Here we describe the putative structures of a range of Cap proteins from circoviruses based on the crystallographic determination of porcine Cap, identifying key regions for function and inhibition of crystal formation.

Expression of the Capsid Precursor Protein gene of Foot-and-mouth Disease Virus and Green Fluorescent Protein Gene in BHK-21 Cells Mediated by Retroviral Vector

We have constructed a retroviral vector mediated mammalian cell expression system of the capsid precursor protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV).The recombinant retroviral vector pBABEpuro-P1-2A-EGFP was constructed by sequentially inserting capsid precursor protein gene(P1) of FMDV and enhanced green fluorescent protein gene(EGFP) into pBABEpuro.The recombinant retroviral vector and the pVSV-G plasmid were co-transfected into packaging cells(GP2-293) by liposomemediated transduction to produce the pseudovirus.The pseudovirus was used to infect BHK-21 cells and resistant cells were screened with puromycin.Green fluorescent proteins were observed by fluorescence microscopy and expression of the capsid precursor protein gene of FMDV was detected by indirect immunofluorescence.The recombinant retroviral vector pBABEpuro-P1-2A-EGFP was constructed successfully.The capsid precursor protein of FMDV and green fluorescent protein were expressed in BHK-21 cells.The mammalian cell expression system for the capsid precursor protein of FMDV has been constructed successfully,which lays the foundation of development of a FMDV subunit vaccine.

Assembly and Immunogenicity of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Major Capsid Protein(HPV16 L1) in Pichia pastoris

In this study, a recombinant Pichia pastoris expression system was developed to express HPV16 L1 protein that was driven by a strong AOX1 promoter. HPV16L1 gene was cloned into vector pPICZ,αB. HPV16 L1 protein expression induced by methanol was screened by using sodium dedecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDSPAGE） and Western blotting. The results indicate that the HPVl6 L1 protein is secreted by the recombinant P. pastoris, and the purified HPV16 L1 protein can self-assemble into vires-like particles（ VLPs）, which show a good immunogenicity and induces high-titer antibody in mice.

A Novel Pharmacophore Model Derived from a Class of Capsid Protein Enterovirus 71 Inhibitors

Capsid protein enterovirus 71 （EV71） is one of the major viruses that cause the severe encephalitis and thus result in a high mortality in children less than 5 years of age.In an effort to discover new potent inhibitors against EV71,a novel three-dimensional pharmacophore model was developed on 24 inhibitors with different molecular structures and bioactivities.The best hypothesis （Hypo1） has a high predictive power and consists of four features,namely,one hydrophobic point （HY） and three hydrogen-bond acceptors （HA）.Two key features of the best Hypo1,HY1 and HA3 match well with an important narrow hydrophobic canyon and with the surface of LYS274 in the target EV71 active site,respectively.The more versatile feature,HA1,is firstly found to be very influential on these compounds’ bioactivities,which may interact with the other side of the active site in the EV71 receptor.The application of the model is successful in predicting the activities of 30 known EV71 inhibitors with a correlation coefficient of 0.831.Furthermore,Hypo1 demonstrates a superior screening capability for retrieving inhibitors from the database with a high enrichment factor of 70.This study provides some important clues in search for more potent inhibitors against EV71 infection.

Mechanics of DNA packaging and ejection from elastic phage capsid

This study intends to investigate how the elasticity of a bacterial phage can affect the process of DNA packaging and ejection. For this purpose, we propose a unified continuum and statistical mechanics model by taking into account the effects of DNA bending deformation, electrostatic repulsion between DNA-DNA strands and elastic deformation of the phage capsid. Based on such a model, we derive the quantitative relations between packaging force, elasticity of capsid, DNA length remaining in the capsid, osmotic pressure and ejection time. The theoretically predicted results are found to agree very well with in vitro experimental observations in the lit-erature.

Eukaryotic Expression and Activity Analysis of Capsid Gene of Swine Vesicular Disease Virus HK/70

The capsid protein precursor （P1）, which plays a major role for the generation of polypeptides of swine vesicular disease virus （SVDV）, was cloned from SVDV HK/70 strain into the retroviral vector pBABE puro and expressed in the mammalian cell line PK15 through the retroviral expression system. The activity of recombinant protein to induce immune response was evaluated in guinea pigs. IFA and Western Blot were used to detect the recombinant protein expression. The results showed that the recombinant protein could be recognized by SVDV positive serum, and animal test showed SVDV-specific antibodies. All of those results indicate that a retroviral-based vaccine carrying the capsid protein precursor （P1） of SVD is able to be expressed in the eukaryotic cell and elicites strong SVDV-specific immune responses in guinea pigs.

Research Progress of HPV L1 Capsid Protein in Prediction of Cervical Lesions

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant gynecological tumors and has the second highest incidence of all malignancies in females.Chronic and persistent infection with High Risk Human Papillomavirus(HR-HPV)is the main cause of cervical cancer.There is a distinct lack of methodology by which to determine whether cervical epithelial dysplasia is cancerous following HPV infection.HPV L1 capsid protein is a major structural protein of human papillomavirus(HPV),and it is the main target of the local cellular immune response aiming to combat human papillomavirus after HPV infection within cervical cells.Greater understanding of HPV L1 capsid protein and its association with cervical cytology,histopathology,patient age and human papillomavirus viral load has the potential to contribute toward improved the diagnosis and management of cervical cancer,providing useful information for gynecological clinicians in the hope of improving patient treatment and quality of life.This article reviews the predictive utility of HPV L1 capsid protein for cervical lesions.

Development of an indirect immunofluorescence assay for PCV3 antibody detection based on capsid protein

Porcine circovirus type 3(PCV3)is a novel porcine circovirus associated with porcine dermatitis and nephritis syndrome(PDNS),reproductive failure,and multisystemic inflammation.Capsid protein(Cap)encoded by PCV3 ORF2 gene has been identified as an immunogenic protein.Currently,there is no immunofluorescence assay(IFA)available for serological diagnosis.Here,the N-terminal 33 amino acids of Cap protein were predicted to serve as a PCV3 nuclear localization signal(NLS).Two types of recombinant plasmids were constructed for recombinant protein expression in 5f9 cells by using a baculovirus expression system:plasmid rvBac-Pc for full-length Cap protein expression and rvBac-Sc for Cap protein expression with a honeybee melittin signal peptide in place of the predicted NLS sequence.Expression of the nuclear localization sequences was further analyzed by IFA.Strong and specific fluorescence signals were observed in the nucleus of rvBac-Pc-transfected cells and in the cytoplasm of rvBac-Sc-transfected cells.No cross-reactivity was observed with porcine circovirus type 2,porcine pseudorabies virus,classical swine fever virus,or porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.In summary,we developed two fluorescence detection modes for Cap protein that can be used to detect PCV3 antibodies.This method is suitable for the diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of PCV3.This study provides a reliable detection method for monitoring PCV3 antibody level in pigs in the future.

Expression of Outer Capsid Protein VP5 of Grass Carp Reovirus in E.coli and Analysis of its Immunogenicity

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is a tentative member of the Aquareovirus genus in the family Reoviridae. The mature virion comprises 11 dsRNA genomes enclosed by two concentric icosahedral proteins shells that is comprised of five core proteins and two outer capsid proteins. The genome sequence and 3D structure demonstrate there is a higher level of sequence homology in structural proteins between GCRV and mammalian orthoreoviruses (MRV) compared to other members of the family. To understand the pathogenesis of GCRV infection, the outer capsid protein VP5, a homology of the μ1 protein of MRV, was expressed in E.coli. It was found that the recombinant VP5 was highly expressed, and the expressed His-tag fusion protein was involved in the formation of the inclusion body. Additionally, specific anti-VP5 serum was prepared from purified protein and western blot demonstrated that the expressed protein was able to bind immunologically to rabbit anti GCRV particle serum and the immunogenicity was determined by ELISA assay. Additional experiments in investigating the functional properties of VP5 will further elucidate the role of the GCRV outer capsid protein VP5 during entry into host cells, and its interaction among viral proteins and host cells during the infection process.

Prokaryotic Expression and Potential Application of the Truncated PCV-2 Capsid Protein

Three pairs of specific primers were designed to amplify the F2-1, F2-2 and XF2-2 truncated sequences of ORF2 which encodes the capsid protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2). The F2-1 sequence had most of the NLS region of ORF2, but the F2-2 and XF2-2 genes had the NLS region deleted. Truncated genes were subcloned into pET-32a(+) vectors to construct recombinant fusion expression vectors. The vectors were then transformed into Rosetta(DE3) E. coli and expressed by induction of IPTG. Expressed proteins were detected by western blotting and ELISA. The protein with best immunoreactivity was confirmed and selected, then utilized to inoculate SPF rabbits to prepare polyclonal antibodies. The protein and prepared polyclonal antibody were utilized to detect sera samples against PCV-2 from Shandong province and PCV-2 particles in PK-15 cells. In our study, three recombinant fusion proteins were successfully obtained, and the molecular weights of fusion proteins were 35.9 kDa, 33.6 kDa and 38.6 kDa respectively detected by SDS-PAGE. All of the proteins showed positive reaction with anti-PCV-2 antisera, and His-XF2-2 showed better immunoreactivity than the others. The protein of His-XF2-2 was coated as antigen in ELISA to detect the seroprevalence of PCV-2 in certain districts of Shandong province, the seropositivity rate was 27.7 % (73/264). Specific fluorescence and positive signals for PCV-2 could be detected in PK-15 cells inoculated with PCV-2 with the participation of prepared antibodies against His-XF2-2 in IFA and IPMA. Experimental results indicated that the truncated PCV-2 ORF2 gene containing most of the NLS region was successfully expressed in E. coli, and His-XF2-2 was demonstrated to have better immunoreactivity with anti-PCV-2 antisera than the other two fusion proteins. His-XF2-2 and prepared polyclonal antibodies against it had a satisfactory capability in detecting PCV-2 infection.

Expression and Immunological Analysis of Capsid Protein Precursor of Swine Vesicular Disease Virus HK/70

VP1, a capsid protein of swine vesicular disease virus, was cloned from the SVDV HK/70 strain and inserted into retroviral vector pBABE puro, and expressed in PK15 cells by an retroviral expression system. The ability of the VP1 protein to induce an immune response was then evaluated in guinea pigs. Western blot and ELISA results indicated that the VP1 protein can be recognized by SVDV positive serum, Furthermore, anti-SVDV specific antibodies and lymphocyte proliferation were elicited and increased by VP1 protein after vaccination. These results encourage further work towards the development of a vaccine against SVDV infection.

Interactions of the HSV-1 UL25 Capsid Protein with Cellular Microtubule-associated Protein

An interaction between the HSV-1 UL25 capsid protein and cellular microtubule-associated protein was found using a yeast two-hybrid screen and β-D-galactosidase activity assays. Immunofluorescence microscopy of the UL25 protein demonstrated its co-localization with cellular microtubule-associated protein in the plasma membrane. Further investigations with deletion mutants suggest that UL25 is likely to have a function in the nucleus.

Mathematical Analysis on a General Delayed HBV Model with Capsids and Two Infection Routes

Considering that HBV belongs to the DNA virus family and is hepatotropic,we model the HBV DNA-containing capsids as a compartment.In this paper,a delayed HBV infection model is established,where the general incidence function and two infection routes including cell-virus infection and cell-cell infection are introduced.According to some preliminaries,including well-posedness,basic reproduction number and existence of two equilibria,we obtain the threshold dynamics for the model.We illustrate numerical simulations to verify the above theoretical results,and furthermore explore the impacts of intracellular delay and cell-cell infection on the global dynamics of the model.

Insights into varicella-zoster virus assembly from the B-and C-capsid at near-atomic resolution structures

Varicella-zoster is a highly communicable virus that can be transmitted through the airborne route.About one quarter of people are infected with this virus.Previous studies have described the structure of A-capsid and a blurred reconstruction of the C-capsid with icosahedral symmetry.In this study,we have determined the more precise detailed structures of the varicella-zoster virus(VZV)B-and C-capsid in icosahedral symmetry using a combination of block-based reconstruction and symmetry relaxation strategies.In addition,we are reporting structural details of the portal vertex reconstructions in five-fold symmetry and portal reconstructions in twelve-fold symmetry.The structures unveil the basis for the high thermal stability of the VZV capsid.The conformational flexibility of structural elements of the capsid plays a role in the assembly of the capsid and drives processes critical for the viral life cycle.The results of the study open up new avenues for the development of drugs against a highly prevalent and contagious pathogen.