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Expression of human foamy virus is differentially regulated during development in transgenic mice
(1992)
Tbe human foamy virus (HFV) is a recently characterized member ofthe spumavirus family. Although no diseases have been unequivocally associated with HFV infection, expression of HFV regulatory genes in transgenie mice induces a characteristic aeute neuro degenerative disease and a myopathy. To better eharaeterize the sequenee of events leading to disease, and to gain a better understanding of the underlying pathogenetic meehanisms, we have analyzed in detail the transgene expression pattern during development. Transcription of a construet containing all regulatory elements and aneillary genes of mv was analyzed by in situ hybridization and was shown to occur in two distinct phases. At midgestation, low but widespread expression was first deteeted in eells of extraembryonie tissues. Later, various tissues originating from embryonie mesoderm, neuroeetoderm, and neural erest transeribed the transgene at moderate levels. However, expression deereased dramatically during late gestation and was suppressed shortly after birth. After a latency period of up to 5 weeks, transeription of the transgene resumed in single eelJs distributed irregularly in the central nervous system and in the skeletal museIe. By the age of 8 weeks, an increasing number of eells displayed much higher expression levels than in embryonie Iife and eventually underwent severe degenerative ehanges. These findings demonstrate that HFV transgene expression is differentially regulated in development and that HFV cytotoxicity may be dose-dependent. Such biphasic pattern of expression differs from that of murine retroviruses and may be explained by the specificity of HFV regulatory elements in combination with cellular faetors. Future studies of this model system should, therefore, provide novel insights in the mechanisms controlling retrovirallatency.
In common with most viruses, measles virus (MV) relies on the integrity of the cytoskeleton of its host cells both with regard to efficient replication in these cells, but also retention of their motility which favors viral dissemination. It is, however, the surface interaction of the viral glycoprotein (gp) complex with receptors present on lymphocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), that signals effective initiation of host cell cytoskeletal dynamics. For DCs, these may act to regulate processes as diverse as viral uptake and sorting, but also the ability of these cells to successfully establish and maintain functional immune synapses (IS) with T cells. In T cells, MV signaling causes actin cytoskeletal paralysis associated with a loss of polarization, adhesion and motility, which has been linked to activation of sphingomyelinases and subsequent accumulation of membrane ceramides. MV modulation of both DC and T cell cytoskeletal dynamics may be important for the understanding of MV immunosuppression at the cellular level.
Progressive encephalopathy and myopathy in transgenic mice expressing human foamy virus genes
(1991)
Transgenie mice carrying the bel region of human foamy retrovirus (HFV) under transcriptional control of its own long terminal repeat expressed tbe transgene in their centrat nervous systems and in smootb and striated muscle tissues. The animals developed a progressive degenerative disease of tbe centrat nervous system and of the striated muscle. Because expression of tbe transgene was dosely correlated witb the appearance of structural damage and inflammatory reactions were scanty, the disease is likely to be caused directly by tbe HFV proteins. These unexpected findings call for a reevaluation of tbe patbogenic potential of HFV in humans.
In vitro and in vivo infection of rhesus monkey microglial cells by simian immunodeficiency virus
(1993)
The observation that microglial cells in brain tissue are probably a major target for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has raised interest in the pathogenic role of this cell population for the development of neuro-AIOS. Since it is very difficult to obtain microglia from normal or diseased human brain we studied microglial cells isolated from fresh brain tissue of uninfected and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected rhesus monkeys (Macacca mulatta) in comparison to peripheral blood macrophages. Besides the characterization of the phenotypes of these two cell populations, we examined the replication of SIV in the cells in addition to the effect of viral infection on the expression of cell surface molecules. We found that microglia and macrophages support replication of the wild-type SIV\(_{mac25}\), strain as well as the infectious clone (SIV\(_239\)). Infectious viruswas produced and a CPE developed. Isolated microglial cells from SIV-infected monkeys were latently infected independent of the presence of neuropathological lesions and produced infectious virus after 20-25 days in culture. In situ hybridization revealed that only a small percentage of isolated microglial cells are productively infected in vivo, yet the majority of these expressed MHC class II molecules. This indicated a state of activation that is acquired in vivo. These findings indicate that microglia are a prime target cell for SIV infection in CNS tissue.
During molecular cloning of proviral DNA of human. spumaretroVirus, various recombinant clones were estabUshed and analyzed. Blot hybridization revealed that one of the recoinbinant plasmids bad the characteristic features of a member of the long interspersed repetitive sequences famlly. The DNA element was analyzed by restrictioil mapping and nuelootide sequencing. It showed a high degree of amino acid sequence homology of 54.3% when conipared with the 5'-terminal part of the pol gelie product of the murine retrotransposon LIMd. The 3' region of the cloned DNA element encodes proteins witb an even higher degree of homology of 67.4% in comparison to the corresponding parts of a member of the primate Kpnl sequence family.
Recombinant clonesthat represent the 3' part ofthe genome of the human spumaretrovirus (foamy virus) were established from viral DNA and from DNA complementary to viral RNA. The recombinant clones were characterized by blot hybridizations and nucleotide sequence analysis. The deduced protein sequence of the clones at their 5' ends was found to be homologous to the 3' domain of retroviral reverse transcriptases. Downstream of a small intergerne pol-env region a long open reading frame of 985 amino acid residues was identified that according to its genomic location, size, glycosylation signals, and hydrophobicity protile closely resembles the lentiviral env genes. The spumaretroviral env gene is followed by two open reading frames, termed bel-l and bel-2 which are located between env and the long terminal repeat region. The long terminal repeat of 1259 nucleotides is preceded by a polypurine tract and contains the canonical signal sequences characteristic for transcriptional regulation of retroviruses. The provisional classitication of the spumaretrovirus subfamily is discussed.
Aim: To examine peripheral blood and skeletal muscle from patients with chronic fadgue syndrome for exogenous retrovirus. Methods: Blood samples from 30 patients and muscle biopsy specimens of 15 patients were examined for retroviral sequences by DNA extraction, polymerase chain reacdon (PCR), and Southern blotting hybridisation. Sera were examined for human foamy virus by western immunoblotting and indirect immunofluorescence techniques. Results: No difference between the padent and control populations was found for any of the PCR primer sets used (gag, pol, env, and tax regions of HTLV VII). An endogenous gag band was observed in both the padent and control groups. All sera were negative for antibody to human foamy virus. Conclusion: The results indicate that there is no evidence of retroviral involvement in the chronic fatigue syndrome.
In order to establish criteria for the Serodiagnosis of foamy virus infections we investigated the extent to which sera from iofected individuals of human and primate origin react with structural and non-structural virus proteins in immunoblot assays. Using lysates from infected cells as the source of virus antigen, antibodies were preferentially detected against the Gag proteins and the non-structural Bet protein. Both the Gag precursor molecules of 70 and 74K apparent M\(_r\) and the cytoplasmic 60K M\(_r\) Bet protein were found to be phosphorylated, the latter being synthesized in large amounts in infected cells. Rahbit antiserum raised against recombinant human foamy virus (HFV) Gag major capsid protein cross-reacted with foamy viruses of chimpanzee, gorilla, orang-utan, rhesus monkey and Mrican green monkey origin. This was reßected by a broad cross-reactivity of the respective monkey sera to the Gag proteins of the various foamy virus isolates. Cross-reactivity of antisera against the Bet protein was restricted to viruses from man and the great apes. Recombinant Gag and Bet proteins expressed in prokaryotes or in insect cells were readily recognized by foamy virus-positive primate sera. Screening serum samples from chimpanzees with HFV Gag and Bet proteins expressed by recombinant baculoviruses revealed that 18 out of 35 (52%) were positive for Gag antibodies. Of these, 13 (72 o/o) showed antiborlies against the Bet protein, indicating that Bet antigen is of value in sero1ogical screening for foamy virus infections.