Detection of cytomegalovirus antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant polypeptides of the large phosphorylated tegument protein pp150.

Parts of the large phosphorylated tegument protein, pp150, of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) were expressed in bacteria. The resulting fusion proteins were tested in a Western blot (immunoblot) assay for reactivity with a monoclonal antibody against pp150, with a polyspecific rabbit antiserum, and with human reconvalescent-phase sera. Those fusion proteins that performed well in the Western blot assay were used as antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of antibodies against HCMV. Five different recombinant beta-galactosidase fusion proteins were evaluated by ELISA using 62 seropositive and 38 seronegative human serum samples. Of all the proteins tested, one peptide representing 162 amino acids of pp150 was superior to the others with regard to sensitivity and specificity. All sera known to be positive for antibodies against HCMV were identified by combining the results of the ELISAs with the different pp150 fusion proteins. Therefore, it appears that peptides from a single protein of HCMV might be sufficient to identify HCMV-seropositive individuals by recombinant ELISA.     

人巨细胞病毒pp65蛋白基因的克隆及表达

目的 构建人巨细胞病毒pp65蛋白全长基因的原核表达载体，并对表达产物进行纯化。方法 PCR扩增pp65的全长基因。将其插入到原核表达载体pRSET，在工程菌BDPS中进行IPTG诱导表达，采用Westen blot进行鉴定并通过亲和层析对表达产物进行纯化。结果 成功构建了全长HCMVpp65的原核表达载体并诱导其高效表达。用镍离子柱亲和层析获取纯度达90%以上的表达蛋白。结论 我们获取的HCMVpp65原核表达蛋白纯度较高，可将其应用于免疫治疗和临床检测的进一步研究。     

The tegument protein UL94 of human cytomegalovirus as a binding partner for tegument protein pp28 identified by intracellular imaging

The tegument protein pp28 of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is essential for the assembly of infectious HCMV virions, but how it functions during the process of HCMV tegumentation and envelopment remains unclear. By using live cell fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy and yeast two-hybrid assays, we found that another HCMV tegument protein, UL94, was a specific binding partner for pp28. The interaction between pp28 and UL94 was imaged in a punctuate, juxtanuclear compartment, previously designated as the virus assembly compartment (AC). Amino acids 22-43 of pp28 were identified as being responsible for its binding with UL94, while no linear binding site could be found within UL94. The interaction between pp28 and UL94 may serve as a link in the sequential processes of HCMV capsidation, tegumentation and envelopment. This study provides a foundation for further studies into how the HCMV tegument proteins act in the assembly of HCMV virions.     

Expression of tegument protein pp65 of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and its application to the analysis of viral-specific cellular immunity in CMV-infected individuals

Summary.  Investigations into human cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific cellular immunity are important to better understand and manage CMV infections. CMV phosphoprotein pp65 is thought to be a major antigen for CMV-specific cellular immunity. We newly synthesized protein pp65 with a baculovirus expression system and purified it via metal affinity chromatography in a soluble form. The recombinant protein pp65 was antigenic in an enzyme immuno-linked assay for pp65-specific IgG in sera from 196 children. Traditional lymphoproliferation assays have shown that pp65 protein promotes specific lymphoproliferation in CMV-seropositive donors. Using an intracellular cytokine detection system, we showed that this recombinant protein stimulated CD4-positive T cells to express interferon-γ. The results of these assays using protein pp65 were comparable with the use of CMV whole antigen. pp65- and CMV-specific cellular immunity, and CMV DNA load were also compared in four recipients of unrelated cord blood transplantation. The delay in re-constitution in CMV-specific cellular immunity was associated with reactivation of CMV. These results indicated that the recombinant protein pp65 can be used to study specific immunity in CMV infections. Received March 1, 2002; accepted May 28, 2002     

Nuclear trafficking of the human cytomegalovirus pp71 (ppUL82) tegument protein

The human cytomegalovirus tegument protein pp71 localizes to the nucleus immediately upon infection, and functions to initiate viral gene expression. Analysis of a series of random insertion mutations revealed that sequences within the mid region (MR) of pp71 are important for localization to the nucleus. Fusion of MR sequences with eGFP revealed that amino acids 94 to 300 were sufficient to target proteins to the nucleus. Random substitution mutagenesis within this domain resulted in two double substitution mutants, pp71P203T/T223M and pp71T228M/L275Q, with a predominantly cytoplasmic localization. Disruption of nuclear targeting resulted in relocalization of the fusion proteins to a distinct perinuclear region. Using tandem mass spectrometry, we determined that threonine 223 can be phosphorylated. Mutation of this residue to a phosphomimetic amino acid resulted in abrogation of nuclear targeting. These results strongly suggest that the intracellular trafficking of pp71 is regulated by phosphorylation.     

人巨细胞病毒pp65核酸疫苗的构建、表达与动物免疫效应

构建真核重组表达质粒PVAX1-pp65,通过对其表达产物的鉴定和免疫小鼠实验,探讨PVAX1-pp65载体对诱导免疫应答的效果及方式。用已构建的原核表达载体pp65-pet32a,经酶切后与DNA疫苗载体PVAX1连接,构建HCMVpp65核酸疫苗(PVAX1-pp65)。用脂质体法将其转染293细胞,经间接免疫荧光、免疫印迹试验来验证其表达的产物。同时,免疫小鼠后取其脾脏细胞,经流式细胞仪检测其CD4+和CD8+T细胞;并利用MTT法测定免疫小鼠的T细胞对ConA和重组pp65蛋白刺激后的增殖活性。结果显示构建的真核表达载体PVAX1-pp65,经测序验证其序列正确。体外转染实验结果表明转染重组质粒的细胞胞浆内呈现与特异性pp65单克隆抗体反应的颗粒状荧光产物,免疫印迹试验也显示重组质粒转染的细胞裂解物中有pp65蛋白条带。另外,免疫小鼠脾CD8+T细胞的含量明显高于对照组;免疫鼠脾细胞对重组pp65抗原蛋白的刺激后增殖反应明显。综上结果证实,成功地构建了HCMVpp65核酸疫苗,并能有效地表达,表达的蛋白具有良好的免疫原性和免疫反应性。HCMVpp65DNA疫苗可诱导小鼠产生针对HCMV的特异性细胞免疫应答,可作为一种有应用前景的核酸疫苗进一步深入研究。     

人巨细胞病毒皮层蛋白pUL23与宿主蛋白IGFBP4相互作用的鉴定

目的:利用蛋白质相互作用的技术筛选与pUL23相互作用宿主蛋白,为研究pUL23蛋白对人巨细胞病毒繁殖的影响提供线索。方法:通过酵母双杂交系统从人胚肾cDNA文库筛选与pUL23相互作用的宿主蛋白;通过GST-pu ll-down技术研究二者体外物理性相互作用;免疫共沉淀技术进一步研究二者在胞内相互作用。结果:Pu ll-down技术、免疫共沉淀技术确定了宿主蛋白IGFBP4与pUL23具有相互作用。结论:上述结果为研究pUL23蛋白调节病毒自身繁殖功能提供重要依据。     

人疱疹病毒7型被膜蛋白pp85的原核表达及应用

目的构建人疱疹病毒7型(HHV7)被膜蛋白pp85编码基因(ORF U14)的原核表达载体,并进行原核表达。方法应用HHV7标准株Glasgow感染SupT1细胞,PCR技术扩增HHV7ORFU14基因的主要抗原决定簇编码区(328~533AA),目的基因与原核表达载体pThioHis A连接后,转化宿主菌E.coliBL21,IPTG诱导融合蛋白表达,经镍-螯合物琼脂糖树脂柱亲和层析纯化获得重组抗原。重组蛋白电泳后转至PVDF膜,与HHV7阳性血清进行免疫印迹反应。结果DNA序列分析表明,目的基因序列与HHV7标准毒株Glasgow相应序列完全一致,SDS-PAGE可观察到相对分子质量(Mr)为35.7×103融合蛋白的表达,免疫印迹反应显示重组抗原具有较高的特异性。结论HHV7重组抗原具有较好的抗原性,进一步完善后可用于HHV7抗体的检测。     

人热休克蛋白70基因的原核表达

目的 表达人热休克蛋白70（HSP70）并进行鉴定。方法 用PCR方法扩增人HSP70基因片段，经T-A克隆法克隆到载体pUCm-T中，并进行DNA测序，将人HSP70基因片段从载体pUCm-T中酶切后，构建重组表达载体pGEX-4T-1-HSP70，并转化大肠杆菌JM109，用IPTG诱导，收集细菌，菌体裂解后进行SDS-PAGE及Western blot检测。结果 人HSP70基因的PCR产物约为1.9kb。序列测定结果证实，所获目的序列与文献[3]报道的相一致，经EcoRⅠ和XhoⅠ酶切鉴定证实。人HSP70基因已成功地克隆到表达载体pGEX-4T-1中，构建的表达载体pGEX-4T-1-HSP70，能很好地在大肠杆菌中表达相对分子质量（Mr)为96000并具有抗原特性的融合蛋白，结论 成功地克隆并表达了HSP70基因，为研究HSP70的结构。功能与临床应用提供了必要条件。     

Characterization of antigen-specific repertoire diversity following in vitro restimulation by a recombinant adenovirus expressing human cytomegalovirus pp65

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and adenovirus cause significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We have previously established a procedure for the generation of polyclonal CTL with specificity against adenovirus and HCMV using a recombinant adenovirus encoding the HCMV pp65 protein (RAdpp65). However, specific CTL expanded after in vitro culture steps were subjected to several in vitro restimulations and, depending on the protocol adopted, this could lead to a selection bias, compromising the clinical benefit. To determine which part of the memory repertoire is selected after in vitro restimulation, we have followed the specificity and clonal composition of pp65-peptide-specific CD8(+) T cells in HLA-A*201 individuals before and after repeated in vitro restimulation of cells with RAdpp65, combining HLA tetrameric complexes and immunoscope analysis. Tetramer staining showed that, after in vitro restimulation, up to 60% of CD8(+) T cells were virus-specific. Immunoscope analysis showed that the predominant TCRBV diversity of pp65-specific clones was conserved, demonstrating that the memory repertoire was preserved all along the procedure. Altogether, these results suggest that the use of RAdpp65 to induce CMV- and adenovirus-specific CTL maybe appropriate for immunotherapy.     

人巨细胞病毒pp65对系统性红斑狼疮诱导作用的研究

目的 探究人巨细胞病毒(HCMV) pp65是否可以诱发正常C57BL/6小鼠产生系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)相关实验室诊断指标的变化.方法 构建HCMV pp65原核表达质粒与真核表达质粒,然后进行HCMV pp65原核蛋白表达与纯化.间接法ELISA检测anti-pp65 IgG、dsDNA、抗核抗体(ANA),竞争法ELISA检测血浆中IL-1b、IL-6、TNF-α浓度.结果 成功获得HCMV pp65原核表达蛋白和真核表达质粒,免疫小鼠后血清中anti-pp65、抗dsDNA抗体、ANA、IL-6均有明显上升趋势.结论 HCMVpp65可以使C57BL/6小鼠SLE相关检测指标发生明显改变,这一结果有助于进一步研究自身免疫病的发病机制与影响因素.     

Identification of HLA-A24-restricted CTL epitope encoded by the matrix protein pp65 of human cytomegalovirus

The activation of a specific cellular immune response against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important key factor to solving CMV infection after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). In the present study, our purpose was to identify the HLA-A24-restricted cytotoxic T cell (CTL) epitope from the CMV immunogenic matrix protein pp65. We selected five CMV pp65 peptides with HLA-A24 binding motif from the HLA peptide binding predictions web site. Peptide binding assay was performed using biotinylated HLA-A24-restricted MAGE-1 peptide as a reference peptide and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-deficient T2-A24 cells expressing high level of HLA-A24 protein as target cells. After co-incubation of biotinylated MAGE-1 and titrated amounts of competitor peptides with T2-A24 cells, the binding of each peptide was analyzed on a flow cytometer. Peptide binding assay showed that three out of five peptides derived from CMV pp65 bound to T2-A24 cells with various affinity levels. CTL induction assay using peptide-pulsed DC derived from eight HLA-A24(+) donors revealed that the peptide (QYDPVAALF) with the highest affinity was able to elicit potent CTLs which killed peptide-pulsed TISI cells. These CTLs were found to show the killing activity against human fibroblast cells transduced with both HLA-A*2402 and CMV pp65 cDNAs, and CMV-infected HLA-A24(+) fibroblast cells. These results suggested that the peptide (QYDPVAALF) is one of HLA-A24-restricted CTL epitope derived from CMV pp65 protein and may be of therapeutic value in peptide-based vaccines against CMV infection in BMT patients.     

Characterization of human monoclonal antibodies directed against the pp65-kD matrix antigen of human cytomegalovirus.

Human monoclonal antibodies specific for human cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens have been established using peripheral blood lymphocytes from a seropositive donor. Immortalization of antigen-specific B cells was achieved by Epstein-Barr virus transformation followed by somatic cell fusion of antigen-specific lymphoblastoid cells. Four clones producing high-affinity antibodies (0.2-7 x 10(9) M-1) specific for the viral matrix protein pp65 have been further characterized with respect to epitope specificity of secreted antibodies. The studied antigen represents a major protein produced by in vitro-cultivated virus, and is important in the serodiagnosis of CMV infection. The human monoclonal antibodies recognized different epitopes, some of which proved to be overlapping. The fine specificity of these antibodies was evaluated using synthetic peptides covering the sequence of pp65. The antibody MO58 recognized a linear epitope (residues 283-288) whereas antibody MO53 recognized a discontinuous epitope involving residues 208-216 and 280-285. Despite the close proximity of these epitopes, the antibodies did not compete with each other for the same binding site on intact antigen.     

Human cytomegalovirus strain Towne pp65 gene: nucleotide sequence and expression in Escherichia coli.

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes a 65-kDa tegument protein (pp65), which has been reported to be a target of immune response during natural infection. We have cloned and sequenced the gene encoding pp65 of HCMV Towne strain (pp65Towne), and have expressed this gene in Escherichia coli in order to study certain antigenic and structural properties of this polypeptide. The pp65Towne gene had a 99% nucleotide similarity and 99.7% amino acid similarity to pp65 of HCMV AD169 strain (pp65AD169). However, unlike the pp65AD169 gene, the pp65Towne gene was found to be incapable of undergoing RNA splicing due to a base substitution in the critical 3' splice-acceptor site. Insertion of this protein coding sequence into the bacterial expression plasmids enabled synthesis in E. coli of an immunoreactive pp65-related polypeptide. The recombinant pp65 (rpp65) reacted strongly in immunoblot analysis with pp65-specific murine and human monoclonal antibodies as well as with anti-pp65 rabbit antiserum. In immunoblot analysis, the reactivity of rpp65 with a panel of human HCMV-immune sera indicated that some sera were reactive while other HCMV seropositive sera were nonreactive, a finding similar to that for native pp65.     

干扰素诱导蛋白Nmi与人巨细胞病毒皮层蛋白UL23相互作用区域的研究

目的:探究干扰素诱导蛋白N-Myc相互作用因子(Nmi)与人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)皮层蛋白UL23相互作用的关键区域。方法:根据前期实验结果,分别将10个不同截短突变型的Nmi构建到原核表达载体p GEX-4T-1上,转化到大肠杆菌Rosetta(DE3)感受态细胞中,表达并纯化出带有GST标签的融合蛋白,利用GST-pulldown的方法探究Nmi与UL23相互作用的区域。根据GST-Pulldown实验结果,用同源重组的方法在真核表达载体pc DNA4-Myc上分别构建3个缺失突变型Nmi。将实验组和对照组的Nmi分别与含有Flag标签的UL23质粒共转染至He La细胞中,通过免疫共沉淀法进一步研究Nmi与UL23的相互作用区域。结果:(1)10个截短突变型Nmi与GST基因融合的原核表达载体构建成功;(2)3个缺失突变型Nmi与Myc基因融合的真核表达载体构建成功;(3)GST-pulldown实验证明Nmi与UL23相互作用位点位于Nmi上的第192~202位氨基酸区域;(4)免疫共沉淀法确认Nmi的第192~202位氨基酸区域是与UL23相互作用的区域,与GST-pulldown实验结果一致。结论:Nmi与UL23相互作用的区域位于Nmi上第192~202位氨基酸区域。这为阐明UL23帮助HCMV在宿主体内潜伏的分子机理提供了基础。     

Inhibition of the NKp30 activating receptor by pp65 of human cytomegalovirus

Human cytomegalovirus, a chief pathogen in immunocompromised people, can persist in a healthy immunocompetent host throughout life without being eliminated by the immune system. Here we show that pp65, the main tegument protein of human cytomegalovirus, inhibited natural killer cell cytotoxicity by an interaction with the activating receptor NKp30. This interaction was direct and specific, leading to dissociation of the linked CD3zeta from NKp30 and, consequently, to reduced killing. Thus, pp65 is a ligand for the NKp30 receptor and demonstrates a unique mechanism by which an intracellular viral protein causes general suppression of natural killer cell cytotoxicity by specific interaction with an activating receptor.     

Human antibody reactivity against the lower matrix protein (pp65) produced by cytomegalovirus.

The lower matrix protein (pp65) is a major product of many laboratory strains of cytomegalovirus (CMV). It is thus an integral part of many CMV serological assays based on native antigen. Recombinant fragments of pp65 have previously been investigated for their usefulness in more-defined assays. The latter antigens have, however, failed to develop a positive response with serum samples derived from a substantial number of infected individuals. Here we show that the human humoral immune response to CMV pp65 is highly diverse and recognizes at least seven distinct but in some cases partly overlapping epitopes. Most of these epitopes could not be mimicked by any of the investigated recombinant or synthetic antigens. Furthermore, when we investigated the ability of human CMV-seropositive serum samples to block the reactivity of pp65-specific antibodies recognizing five different epitopes within pp65, it was evident that several sera did not contain significant levels of antibodies against any of these or overlapping structures. It was thus concluded that the antibody response against CMV pp65 is weak in some CMV-infected individuals, making this antigen unsuitable for use alone in serological screening systems for CMV infection.