腺相关病毒Rep78/68蛋白

腺相关病毒(AAV)编码的非结构蛋白Rep78/68具有抑制病毒和肿瘤转化的作用,并且对宿主细胞的增殖及代谢产生广泛地影响.本文将对此蛋白的最新研究进展进行综述.     

Intracellular route and biological activity of exogenously delivered Rep proteins from the adeno-associated virus type 2

The two large Rep proteins, Rep78 and Rep68, from the adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2) are required for AAV-2 DNA replication, site-specific integration, and for the regulation of viral gene expression. The study of their activities is dependent on the ability to deliver these proteins to the cells in a time and dose-dependent manner. We evaluated the ability of a protein transduction domain (PTD) derived from the human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) TAT protein to drive the cellular internalization of exogenously delivered PTD-fused Rep68 proteins. This analysis unexpectedly revealed that recombinant Rep68 alone, in the absence of any PTD, could be endocytosed by the cells. Rep68 as the chimeric TAT-Rep68 proteins were internalized through endocytosis in clathrin-coated vesicles and retained in late endosomes/lysosomes with no detectable nuclear localization. In the presence of adenovirus, the Rep proteins could translocate into the nucleus where they displayed a biological activity. These findings support recent reports on the mechanism of entry of TAT-fused proteins and also revealed a new property of Rep68.     

Rep68 protein of adeno-associated virus type 2 interacts with 14-3-3 proteins depending on phosphorylation at serine 535

Rep78/68 proteins of adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2) are involved in many aspects of the viral life cycle, including replication, gene expression, and site-specific integration. To understand the molecular mechanisms of the actions of Rep proteins, we searched for Rep68-interacting cellular proteins by utilizing a one-step affinity purification technique and identified two members of 14-3-3 proteins (14-3-3 epsilon and gamma). We found that phosphorylation of 535Ser at the carboxy terminus of Rep68 was critical for its association with 14-3-3. The association of 14-3-3 proteins to Rep68 resulted in reduction of the affinity of Rep68 for DNA. Furthermore, genome DNA replication of a recombinant mutant virus carrying a phosphorylation-deficient Rep68 (Ser535Ala) was more efficient than that of the wild-type virus. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Rep68 and subsequent association with 14-3-3 proteins regulates Rep-mediated functions during the AAV life cycle.     

Analysis of the subcellular localization of the proteins Rep, Rep' and Cap of porcine circovirus type 1

Porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) encodes two major ORFs. The cap gene comprises the major structural protein of PCV, the rep gene specifies Rep and Rep', which are both essential for initiating the replication of the viral DNA. Rep corresponds to the full-length protein, whereas Rep' is a truncated splice product that is frame-shifted in its C-terminal sequence. In this study, the cellular localization of PCV1-encoded proteins was investigated by immune fluorescence techniques using antibodies against Rep, Rep' and Cap and by expression of viral proteins fused to green and red fluorescence proteins. Rep and Rep' protein co-localized in the nucleus of infected cells as well as in cells transfected with plasmids expressing Rep and Rep' fused to fluorescence proteins, but no signal was seen in the nucleoli. Rep and Rep' carry three potential nuclear localization signals in their identical N-termini, and the contribution of these motifs to nuclear import was experimentally dissected. In contrast to the rep gene products, the localization of the Cap protein varied. While the Cap protein was restricted to the nucleoli in plasmid-transfected cells and was also localized in the nucleoli at an early stage of PCV1 infection, it was seen in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm later in infection, suggesting that a shuttling between distinct cellular compartments occurs.     

Characterization of the nuclear localization signal of high risk HPV16 E2 protein

The E2 protein of high risk human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) contains an amino-terminal (N) domain, a hinge (H) region and a carboxyl-terminal (C) DNA-binding domain. Using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusions with full length E2 and E2 domains in transfection assays in HeLa cells, we found that the C domain is responsible for the nuclear localization of E2 in vivo, whereas the N and H domains do not contain additional nuclear localization signals (NLSs). Deletion analysis of EGFP-E2 and EGFP-cE2 determined that the C domain contains an alpha helix cNLS that overlaps with the DNA-binding region. Mutational analysis revealed that the arginine and lysine residues in this cNLS are essential for nuclear localization of HPV16 E2. Interestingly, these basic amino acid residues are well conserved among the E2 proteins of BPV-1 and some high risk HPV types but not in the low risk HPV types, suggesting that there are differences between the NLSs and corresponding nuclear import pathways between these E2 proteins.     

Feasibility of gene therapy in Gaucher disease using an adeno-associated virus vector

Gaucher disease, one of the common lysosomal storage disorders, is caused by a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase (GC). We investigated gene transfer using recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors containing human GC cDNA driven by the human elongation factor 1- promoter. This rAAV vector mediated efficient expression of human GC in human Gaucher fibroblasts. GC activities were increased from 2.8 to 3.4 times in normal fibroblast and from 1.9 to 4.6 times in Gaucher fibroblasts, and these increases in GC activity were maintained over 20 weeks. Intravenous administration of vectors via the hepatic portal vein and tail vein of wild-type mice resulted in efficient transduction into the tissues. GC activities of the liver, spleen, and lung in transduced mice were increased significantly up to two fold at 6 weeks after transduction. Significantly increased GC activities persisted over 20 weeks. Therefore, rAAV vector-mediated gene transfer may provide a therapeutic approach for the treatment of Gaucher disease.     

HPV E1 up-regulates replication-related biochemistries of AAV Rep78

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV) E1 protein provides helper function for the adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV) life cycle. E1 is the replication protein of HPV, analogous to AAV Rep78, but without the endonuclease/covalent attachment activity of Rep78. Previously we have shown that E1 and Rep78 interact in vitro. Here we investigated E1's effects on Rep78 interaction with AAV's inverted terminal repeat (ITR) DNA in vitro, using purified Rep78 and E1 proteins from bacteria. E1 enhanced Rep78-ITR binding, ATPase activity, Rep78-ITR-covalent linkage and Rep78-ITR-endonuclease activity (central to AAV replication). These enhancements occurred in a dose-dependent manner whenever assayed. However, overall Rep78-plus-E1 helicase activity was lower than Rep78's helicase activity. These data suggest that E1's broad-based helper function for the AAV life cycle (AAV DNA, mRNA, and protein levels are up-regulated by E1) is likely through its ability to enhance Rep78's critical replication-required biochemistries on ITR DNA.     

Characterization of the nuclear localization signal of the hepatitis delta virus antigen

The delta antigen (HDAg) is the only protein encoded by the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) RNA genome. The HDAg contains an RNA binding domain, a dimerization domain, and a nuclear localization signal (NLS). The nuclear import of HDV RNPs is thought to be one of the first tasks of the HDAg during the HDV replication cycle. Using c-myc-PK fusions with several regions of the HDAg in transfection assays in Huh7 cells, we found that the HDAg NLS consists of a single stretch of 10 amino acids, EGAPPAKRAR, located in positions 66-75. Deletion and mutation analysis of this region showed that both the acidic glutamic acid residue at position 66 and the basic arginine residue at position 75 are essential for promoting nuclear import.     

Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the rabies virus P protein requires a nuclear localization signal and a CRM1-dependent nuclear export signal

Rabies virus P protein is a co-factor of the viral RNA polymerase. It has been shown previously that P mRNA directs the synthesis of four N-terminally truncated P products P2, P3, P4, and P5 due to translational initiation by a leaky scanning mechanism at internal Met codons. Whereas P and P2 are located in the cytoplasm, P3, P4, and P5 are found in the nucleus. Here, we have analyzed the molecular basis of the subcellular localization of these proteins. Using deletion mutants fused to GFP protein, we show the presence of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the C-terminal part of P (172-297). This domain contains a short lysine-rich stretch ((211)KKYK(214)) located in close proximity with arginine 260 as revealed by the crystal structure of P. We demonstrate the critical role of lysine 214 and arginine 260 in NLS activity. In the presence of Leptomycin B, P is retained in the nucleus indicating that it contains a CRM1-dependent nuclear export signal (NES). The subcellular distribution of P deletion mutants indicates that the domain responsible for export is the amino-terminal part of the protein. The use of fusion proteins that have amino terminal fragments of P fused to beta-galactosidase containing the NLS of SV40 T antigen allows us to identify a NES between residues 49 and 58. The localization of NLS and NES determines the cellular distribution of the P gene products.     

重组9型腺相关病毒载体转染小鼠心脏及对心功能的影响

目的 探讨重组9型腺相关病毒(recombinant adeno-associated serotype 9,rAAV9)载体对小鼠心脏的转染效果及对心功能的影响.方法 16只昆明种小鼠经尾静脉将携带增强型绿色荧光蛋白(enhanced green fluorescent protein,eGFP)报告基因的rAAV9(rAAV9-eGFP)转染入小鼠,于7、14、21、28 d留取标本,使用荧光显微镜观察eGFP在心肌、肝、肺、肾、脑、骨骼肌的荧光表达,Western blot法检测eGFP)的蛋白表达.另20只昆明种小鼠随机分为2组,每组10只,分别经尾静脉注射rAAV9-eGFP)和生理盐水,28 d后行心脏超声及血流动力学检查.结果 rAAV9-eGFP经尾静脉注射21 d时eGFP表达在心脏达到高峰,转染效率可达32%,在其他脏器表达量少或无表达.rAAV9-eGFP组较生理盐水组心功能差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 rAAV9可通过外周静脉注射在心脏较高表达,且对心功能无不良影响.     

重组腺相关病毒对大鼠神经干细胞的体外转染及其对细胞生长的影响

目的 研究重组腺相关病毒（recombinant adeno-associated virus，rAAV）载体对原代培养的神经干细胞（neural stemcells，Nsc）的体外转染及其对细胞增殖、分化和迁移能力的影响。方法 取新生24h内的Wistar大鼠的海马进行神经干细胞原代培养，用不同滴度的rAAV为载体，以增强型绿色荧光蛋白（enhanced green fluorescent protein，EGFP）基因作为报告基因进行体外转染NSC，通过观察有绿色荧光的NSC的数量，测定rAAV对NSC的体外转染情况；用MTT法测定不同病毒滴度下rAAV对NSC增殖能力的影响，用免疫组化法鉴定NSC、神经元及神经胶质细胞，并在倒置荧光显微镜下直接测定细胞的迁移距离。结果 rAAV对NSC的体外转染效率随着病毒滴度的增加而提高，在转染后的第11天表达水平最高，用MOI为10^4、10^5、10^6的rAAV转染后第11天的转导率分别是9．81％、56．30％、64．67％；不同滴度rAAV转染NSC后不同时间点的MTT测定A值随着病毒滴度的增加而明显减小，差异均有统计学意义；但不同滴度rAAV转染NSC，其分化为神经元和神经胶质细胞的比率以及迁移的距离未见差异。结论 较高滴度（MOI为10^5和10^6）的rAAV可以在体外有效地转染神经干细胞，且不影响神经干细胞的分化和迁移能力，但对其增殖能力有明显抑制，并表现为病毒滴度依赖性。     

Peptide domains involved in the localization of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus nucleocapsid protein to the nucleolus

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the principal component of the viral nucleocapsid and localizes to the nucleolus. Peptide sequence analysis of the N protein of several North American isolates identified two potential nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequences located at amino acids 10-13 and 41-42, which were labeled NLS-1 and NLS-2, respectively. Peptides containing NLS-1 or NLS-2 were sufficient to accumulate enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in the nucleus. The inactivation of NLS-1 by site-directed mutagenesis or the deletion of the first 14 amino acids did not affect N protein localization to the nucleolus. The substitution of key lysine residues with uncharged amino acids in NLS-2 blocked nuclear/nucleolar localization. Site-directed mutagenesis within NLS-2 identified the sequence, KKNKK, as forming the core localization domain within NLS-2. Using an in vitro pull-down assay, the N protein was able to bind importin-alpha, importin-beta nuclear transport proteins. The localization pattern of N-EGFP fusion peptides represented by a series of deletions from the C- and N-terminal ends of the N protein identified a region covering amino acids 41-72, which contained a nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) sequence. The 41-72 N peptide when fused to EGFP mimicked the nucleolar-cytoplasmic distribution of native N. These results identify a single NLS involved in the transport of N from the cytoplasm and into nucleus. An additional peptide sequence, overlapping NLS-2, is involved in the further targeting of N to the nucleolus.     

Stable transduction of large DNA by high-capacity adeno-associated virus/adenovirus hybrid vectors

Viral vectors with high cloning capacity and host chromosomal integration ability are in demand for the efficient and permanent genetic modification of target cells with large DNA molecules. We have generated a hybrid gene transfer vehicle consisting of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) replicative intermediates packaged in adenovirus (Ad) capsids. This arrangement allows cell cycle-independent nuclear delivery of recombinant AAV genomes with lengths considerably above the maximum size (i.e., 4.7 kb) that can be accommodated within AAV capsids. Here we show that high-capacity AAV/Ad hybrid vector gene transfer mediates cellular genomic integration of large fragments of foreign DNA and accomplishes stable long-term transgene expression in rapidly proliferating cells. Southern blot and polymerase chain reaction analyses of chromosomal DNA extracted from clones of stably transduced cells revealed that most of them contained a single copy of the full-length hybrid vector genome with AAV inverted terminal repeat (ITR) sequences at both ends. The high-capacity AAV/Ad hybrid vector system can thus be used for the transfer and expression of transgenes that cannot be delivered by conventional integrating viral vectors.     

Enhanced transfection efficiency of low generation PAMAM dendrimer conjugated with the nuclear localization signal peptide derived from herpesviridae

Abstract

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer is an extensively studied polymer in the biomedical research because of its low polydispersity, distinct molecular structure, and surface functionalities. Generally, a high-generational PAMAM dendrimer is used for gene delivery because transfection efficiency is dependent on charge density; however, an increase in charge density induces disruption of the cellular membrane, and damage to the membrane results in cytotoxicity. In this study, we selected PAMAM generation 2 to reduce the cytotoxic effect and conjugated RRILH and RRLHL sequences, nuclear localization signals (NLS) derived from herpesviridae to PAMAM generation 2. The transfection efficiency of RRILH-PAMAM G2 and RRLHL-PAMAM G2 was similar to that of polyethylenimine (PEI) in Neuro2A, HT22, and HaCaT cells, whereas their transfection efficiency was much higher than that of PEI in NIH3T3 cells. RRILH-PAMAM G2 showed relatively lower cytotoxicity than did RRLHL-PAMAM G2 in all cell lines, but the transfection capacity of the two polymers was similar. Our study shows that low-generational PAMAM dendrimer conjugated with NLS sequences has potential as an alternative to PEI in gene delivery.     

Multiple human papillomavirus genes affect the adeno-associated virus life cycle

The risk of cervical cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, is determined by two viruses. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for developing cervical cancer. However, although little known, it is well substantiated that the human Parvovirus adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV), and its encoded Rep78 protein, interacts with HPV and lowers the risk of cervical cancer. HPV also contributes to AAV inhibition by serving as a helper virus for AAV and stimulating higher AAV replication levels. Here we surveyed four HPV-16 early genes, E1, E2, E6 and E7, for their ability to increase/decrease the basal level of AAV replication in stratifying squamous epithelium (the epithelial raft culture system). It was found that the HPV-16 E1, E2 and E6 genes were able to help/enhance AAV-2 replication in epithelial raft cultures. Under these conditions, with all the HPV genes being expressed from the AAV p5 promoter, E1 appeared to have the strongest enhancing effect on AAV DNA replication (Southern blot), RNA expression (RT-PCR), protein expression (Western blot) and AAV virion production (2 plate-Southern blot). Further study of E1 mutants showed that the carboxy-half of E1, the putative helicase/ATPase domain, was the main contributor of helper activity. These data are important for understanding the HPV-AAV interaction and its effect on modifying cervical cancer risk. These data also suggest the possibility that the identified HPV helper genes may be useful in the generation of recombinant (r)AAV virions for gene therapy, as rAAV is increasing in popularity for such purposes.     

Recombinant adeno-associated virus expressing the receptor-binding domain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus S protein elicits neutralizing antibodies: Implication for developing SARS vaccines

Development of an effective vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) remains to be a priority to prevent possible re-emergence of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We previously demonstrated that the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV S protein is a major target of neutralizing antibodies. This suggests that the RBD may serve as an ideal vaccine candidate. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has been proven to be an effective system for gene delivery and vaccine development. In this study, a novel vaccine against SARS-CoV was developed based on the rAAV delivery system. The gene encoding RBD was cloned into a pAAV-IRES-hrGFP plasmid. The immunogenicity induced by the resulting recombinant RBD-rAAV was evaluated in BALB/c mice. The results demonstrated that (1) a single dose of RBD-rAAV vaccination could induce sufficient neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV infection; (2) two more repeated doses of the vaccination boosted the neutralizing antibody to about 5 times of the level achieved by a single dose of the immunization and (3) the level of the antibody continued to increase for the entire duration of the experiment of 5.5 months. These results suggested that RBD-rAAV is a promising SARS candidate vaccine.     

晚期糖化终产物受体反义 RNA 腺相关病毒载体的构建及在肾脏系膜细胞中表达

目的 构建晚期糖化终产物受体(RAGE)反义RNA腺相关病毒载体,并在大鼠肾脏系膜细胞中表达. 方法 构建腺相关病毒介导的RAGE反义RNA载体,3个质粒共转染293细胞,获得病毒原液,感染大鼠肾脏系膜细胞,流式细胞术、RT-PCR、ELISA检测重组病毒感染的细胞RAGE的表达和分泌细胞外基质的情况.结果 经酶切鉴定、序列分析显示RAGE基因片段正确完整反向插入pAAV-MCS.利用293细胞包装获得病毒原液的滴度为8.7×107VP/mL.感染重组病毒的细胞与正常细胞比较RAGE表达被抑制(48.2±6.1)%,分泌Ⅳ型胶原(ColⅣ)水平明显下降(P＜0.05).结论 成功构建具有抑制功能的RAGE反义RNA腺相关病毒载体,为进一步研究RAGE的作用机制,以及基因治疗RAGE相关疾病提供一个重要工具.