Alteration in plasma glucose levels in Japanese encephalitis patients

A unique factor, human T cell hypoglycaemic factor (hTCHF), has been shown to produce hypoglycaemia during the convalescent stage in the plasma of patients with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. The present study was undertaken to investigate the ability of T cells from fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of such patients to produce hTCHF. The PBMC, as well as the individual subpopulations, were cultured for 24 h and the culture supernatants (CS) were assayed for hypoglycaemic activity. The activity was observed in the CD8+ T cells. The hypoglycaemia in JE-confirmed patients coincided with the gradual rise in circulating glucagon level, with no significant alterations in insulin, growth hormone and cortisol levels. The hTCHF was purified by ion exchange chromatography and the purified protein was observed as a approximately 25 kDa band on SDS-PAGE. Secretory hTCHF in the sera of patients and T cell CS was present in 88% of convalescent serum samples. We conclude that during the convalescent stage of JEV infection, a unique factor, hTCHF, is secreted by activated CD8+ T cells from patients and that this is responsible for the development of hypoglycaemia.     

Japanese encephalitis virus latency in peripheral blood lymphocytes and recurrence of infection in children.

In a study group of 40 children who had been admitted to hospital with acute encephalitis, the disease was due to infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Three children developed recurrence of disease 8-9 months later. No virus had been isolated from these three patients during the acute stage of their illness, but virus was recovered from all during the recurrence phase by co-cultivation of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells in primary mouse embryo fibroblast cultures. Virus was also recovered by co-cultivation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected 8 months after their acute disease from three out of eight randomly selected asymptomatic children within the study group but not from similar cultures set up from JEV-seronegative children used as controls. Virus was also isolated by co-cultivation of T lymphocytes of asymptomatic children as detected by indirect immunofluorescence or by inoculation in mice.     

Replicon-based Japanese encephalitis virus vaccines elicit immune response in mice

In this study, a replicon vaccine vector system for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was established. The system included a trans-complementing cell line, a series of JEV DNA-based subgenomic replicons, and several encapsidated JEV propagation-deficient pseudoinfectious particles (PIPs). The DNA-based JEV replicon vectors, which deleted the structural coding region, could be able to self-replicate and express the reporter gene. A stable BHK packaging cell line named BHK-CME, which constitutively expressed the capsid protein C, the precursor membrane and envelope proteins (C-prM-E) of JEV, was generated. BHK-CME cells were used to trans-complement the JEV replicons and proved to package the JEV replicons into single-round infectious PIPs efficiently. The PIPs were produced in titers of up to 1.6 × 10⁵ IU/ml. To investigate the efficacy of JEV replicon-based vaccines, four groups of female BALB/c mice were inoculated three times at 3-week intervals with the JEV PIPs and others. The JEV-specific antibody titers reached to 1:6400 and the neutralizing antibody titers reached 1:256 after three rounds of immunization with JEV PIPs. And the antisera collected from immunized mice were shown to be protective partially against lethal infection when passively transferred to susceptible weanling mice. These results demonstrated the value of the JEV replicon vector system for the development of new vaccine candidates.     

Effect of macrophage-derived factor on hypoferraemia induced by Japanese encephalitis virus in mice.

Depression of serum iron following Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection was observed in mice. The hypoferraemia was associated with the accumulation of iron in reticulo-endothelial cells in the spleen. Splenectomy (compared with sham-operation) prevented the depression in serum iron concentration after JEV infection. It also prevented the rise in levels of liver iron. The effect of JEV-stimulated, splenic macrophage-derived factor (MDF) was evaluated in causing hypoferraemia. MDF produced a rapid reduction in the serum iron levels with accumulation of iron in spleen. These observations suggest that MDF plays a key role in the regulation of iron metabolism during JEV infection.     

Japanese encephalitis virus infection stimulates Src tyrosine kinase in neuron/glia

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a neurotropic virus. The clinically manifestation of JEV-induced encephalitis is characterized by the brain inflammation and neuronal dysfunction and/or destruction. Currently, the cellular signaling molecules that underlie JEV-induced cerebral inflammation and cellular alterations are not well understood. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation events are key regulators of cellular signaling processes, including inflammation. We investigated whether Src protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) function in JEV-induced cellular changes in neuron/glia cultures. JEV infection modulated tyrosine phosphorylation events. Src PTK was hyperphosphorylated at the early stage of infection. Biochemical studies demonstrated that both inhibitors of the Src family PTK and Ras attenuated JEV-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation. Our results further revealed that PTK, Ras, and ERK inhibitors effectively suppressed JEV-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and neurotoxicity. Pharmacological studies suggested that microglia secreted pro-inflammatory cytokine via Src/Ras/ERK pathway in responding to JEV infection. Another interesting observation was that nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) was able to interact with Src and showed tyrosine phosphorylation. However, the biological consequences of their interaction and exact control of NS3 tyrosine phosphorylation required further investigation. Our results suggest that the Src/Ras/ERK signaling cascade is involved in JEV-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and neurotoxicity.     

逆转录-聚合酶链反应方法检测乙型脑炎病人标本

目的 逆转录－聚合酶链反应（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ）检测乙型脑炎（乙脑）病人标本方法的建立和评估。方法 建立ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ法,了解该方法用于乙脑病毒检测的敏感性,特异性,并用于临床疑似乙脑病人血清及脑脊液（ＣＳＦ）标本的检测,并与反向被动血凝抑制实验（ＲＰＨＩ）方法进行比较分析。结果 用该ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ法检测高顺生株（高株）敏感性可达６４ＰＦＵ。共检测临床疑似乙脑病人标本３８份,对ＣＳＦ中乙型脑炎病毒（ＪＥＶ）     

Experimental evidence that RNA recombination occurs in the Japanese encephalitis virus

Due to the lack of a proofreading function and error-repairing ability of genomic RNA, accumulated mutations are known to be a force driving viral evolution in the genus Flavivirus, including the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. Based on sequencing data, RNA recombination was recently postulated to be another factor associated with genomic variations in these viruses. We herein provide experimental evidence to demonstrate the occurrence of RNA recombination in the JE virus using two local pure clones (T1P1-S1 and CJN-S1) respectively derived from the local strains, T1P1 and CJN. Based on results from a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay on the C/preM junction comprising a fragment of 868 nucleotides (nt 10-877), the recombinant progeny virus was primarily formed in BHK-21 cells that had been co-infected with the two clones used in this study. Nine of 20 recombinant forms of the JE virus had a crossover in the nt 123-323 region. Sequencing data derived from these recombinants revealed that no nucleotide deletion or insertion occurred in this region favoring crossovers, indicating that precisely, not aberrantly, homologous recombination was involved. With site-directed mutagenesis, three stem-loop secondary structures were destabilized and re-stabilized in sequence, leading to changes in the frequency of recombination. This suggests that the conformation, not the free energy, of the secondary structure is important in modulating RNA recombination of the virus. It was concluded that because RNA recombination generates genetic diversity in the JE virus, this must be considered particularly in studies of viral evolution, epidemiology, and possible vaccine safety.     

Neutrophil chemotactic factor produced by Japanese encephalitis virus stimulated macrophages.

The mechanism of neutrophil leucocytosis in cases of Japanese encephalitis is not known. We here report that during Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection in mice the splenic macrophages secrete a chemotactic factor that attracts the neutrophils. The peak activity of macrophage derived factor (MDF) was observed on day 7 following infection. The MDF acted in a dose-dependent manner. This chemoattractant was purified by low pressure liquid chromatography and gave a single band of 10 kD on silver stained polyacrylamide gel. The MDF was found to be heat resistant and sensitive to prolonged incubation with proteases.     

Fabrication of oligonucleotide microarray for the detection of Japanese encephalitis virus

A low-density oligonucleotide microarray was used for the detection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) , combining with restriction display PCR labeling method. The hybridization targets were amplified from 6 plasmids containing several JEV gene fragments. Corresponding oligonucleotide probe spots were detected unambiguously. We claim that the oligonucleotide microarray technology is feasible and may have potential for clinical laboratory application.     

Antiviral effect of nitric oxide during Japanese encephalitis virus infection

The ability of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and JEV-induced macrophage derived neutrophil chemotactic factor (MDF) to produce nitric oxide (NO), and the possible antiviral effect of NO during JEV infection, was investigated. Splenic macrophages of JEV infected mice produced maximum NO in vivo at day 7 post infection, and in vitro at 24 h after JEV stimulation. MDF-induced NO production was dose dependent and maximal at 60 min after MDF treatment. The response was sensitive to anti-MDF antibody treatment and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Pretreatment of mice with L-NMMA increased the mortality to 100% in JEV infected mice in vivo and inhibited NO production in vitro, while MDF stimulated macrophages inhibited virus replication with high levels of NO production. MDF treatment increased the survival rate of JEV infected mice. The findings thus demonstrate that MDF induces production of NO during JEV infection, which has an antiviral effect. This may be one of the important mechanisms of natural immunity in controlling the initial stages of JEV infection.     

Persistence of Japanese encephalitis virus in the human nervous system

Immunological and virological evidence for persistence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in the human nervous system is described in 16/323 (5%) laboratory-confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis. In 9/16 patients, JEV specific IgM antibodies were detected in the CSF even at 50–180 days after the onset of symptoms. Similarly, in 7/16 patients, apart from IgM antibodies, viral antigen was also present in the CSF beyond the third week of illness and in one patient it could be detected even at 117 days. Infectious virus could be isolated from the CSF beyond the third week of illness in 3/16 patients. In one patient, JEV was isolated from the CSF on three consecutive occasions at 90, 110, and 117 days after onset of clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that JEV persists in the nervous system of a small proportion of patients. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Immunomodulatory cytokines determine the outcome of Japanese encephalitis virus infection in mice

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) induces an acute infection of the central nervous system, the pathogenic mechanism of which is not fully understood. To investigate host response to JEV infection, 14‐day‐old mice were infected via the extraneural route, which resulted in encephalitis and death. Mice that received JEV immune splenocyte transfer were protected from extraneural JEV infection. Pathology and gene expression profiles were then compared in brains of mice that either succumbed to JEV infection or were protected from infection by JEV immune cell transfer. Mice undergoing progressive JEV infection had increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and signal transducers associated with the interferon (IFN) pathway. In contrast, mice receiving immune cell transfer had increased production of the Th2 cytokine IL‐4, and of IL‐10, with subdued expression of IFN‐γ. We observed IL‐10 to be an important factor in determining clinical outcome in JEV infection. Data obtained by microarray analysis were further confirmed by quantitative RT‐PCR. Together, these data suggest that JEV infection causes an unregulated inflammatory response that can be countered by the expression of immunomodulatory cytokines in mice that survive lethal infection. J. Med. Virol. 82:304–310, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

四川省分离的基因1型乙型脑炎病毒分子特征分析

目的 从四川省巴中市采集的蚊虫标本中分离乙型脑炎(简称乙脑)病毒(JEV),确定其基因型别,并分析相关的基因1型乙脑病毒PrM和E基因区段氨基酸序列特征.方法 对2004年采集蚊虫标本进行病毒分离,对新分离的乙脑病毒进行生物学、血清学及分子生物学鉴定.逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)扩增新分离JEV的PrM、E区段核苷酸序列,测序后应用Clustal X软件做碱基配对分析,MEGA4软件完成病毒进化分析,GENEDOC(3.2)软件完成氨基酸位点分析,根据蜱传脑炎病毒可溶性蛋白晶体结构为模板进行乙脑病毒E蛋白三维结构模拟预测分析.结果 共采集4668只蚊虫标本,主要是骚扰阿蚊和库蚊,分离到6株病毒,经鉴定均属于基因1型的乙脑病毒.将四川省分离的6个毒株结合我国新分离的基因1型乙脑病毒与减毒活疫苗株SA14-14-2株的PrM区段和E区段氨基酸比较,发现PrM区段在PrM2、64和65位存在基因1型乙脑病毒独有的氨基酸位点差异,E区段存在14处共同的氨基酸位点差异,其中在E129、222、327和366位点为中国目前分离到的基因1型乙脑病毒所特有的位点特征.结论 从四川省巴中市首次分离到基因1型的乙脑病毒,并发现基因1型乙脑病毒与减毒活疫苗株之间PrM、E基因区段存在氨基酸差异,但现行疫苗株理论上可以保护新分离的基因1型乙脑病毒.     

中国基因3型乙型脑炎病毒E基因分子特征

目的 以减毒活疫苗(SA14-14-2株)为对照,分析我国分离的基因3型乙脑病毒E基因区段核苷酸及氨基酸序列分子特征.方法 从GenBank中获取相应乙脑病毒株E基因区段核苷酸序列,通过Clustal X(1.81)、DNAStar、GENEDOC(3.2)等生物学软件进行核苷酸和氨基酸位点差异分析.以蜱传脑炎病毒可溶性蛋白晶体结构为模板进行乙脑病毒E蛋白氨基酸位点分析.结果 我国不同地域、不同宿主分离的基因3型乙脑病毒与SA14-14-2株核苷酸同源性分别在96%和95%以上,氨基酸同源性在95%和94%以上.在同一地域、同一宿主类型分离的毒株之间核苷酸和氨基酸同源性非常高.在E基因区段存在10处共同的氨基酸位点差异,在结构域Ⅰ(E160)、结构域Ⅱ(E123和E227)和两个未在结构域中的氨基酸位点(E441和E487)等5个位点在部分基因3型乙脑病毒中存在差异.结论 我国分离的基因3型乙脑病毒与减毒活疫苗株(SA14-14-2株)E基因区段同源性高,存在5处基因3型乙脑病毒特异的氨基酸位点差异,但现行减毒活疫苗株理论上可以保护我国分离的基因3型乙脑病毒野毒株.     

乙脑病毒持续感染模型中变异株性状及NS3区序列分析

目的　研究乙脑病毒变异性状与NS3区基因序列的关系。方法　应用乙脑病毒野生株及一种人肝癌细胞KN73建立持续感染模型 ,采用标准胰蛋白酶消化技术进行细胞传代 ,经反复冻融法收集细胞内变异病毒。采用BHK细胞空斑实验方法进行病毒滴定 ,利用NS3区特异引物进行逆转录 多聚酶链反应以获NS3区基因片段 ,应用ABI PRSMTM310测序系统进行序列分析。结果　在早期 (感染后 2 4～ 36h)细胞培养液中病毒量为 10 6PFU/ml,在后期 (感染后 3年 )细胞培养液中病毒量为10 3～ 4 PFU/ml,细胞内病毒含量一直维持在 10 2～ 3PFU/ml水平。NS3区测序结果可见 :位于核苷酸碱基序列上第 6 6位C→U ,第 72位A→C ,第 2 94位U→C ,第 30 6位A→G及第 342位A→G ,但相应编码的氨基酸未发生变异。结论　变异株存在性状变异 ,即增殖性低于野生株 ;NS3区编码蛋白对野生株及变异株均至关重要 ,亦提示病毒性状变异的原因可能由其它区域蛋白变异或病毒与宿主间蛋白相互作用所致     

乙型脑炎病毒TaqMan PCR检测方法的建立及初步应用

目的 利用TaqMan PCR技术，建立乙型脑炎病毒（Japanese encephalitis virus，JEV）实时荧光PCR检测方法，初步应用于蚊虫媒介的JEV监测。方法根据GenBank发表的JEV全基因组序列资料分析结果，在其NS5基因区段设计JEV特异的引物与探针；优化Mg^2＋浓度和引物浓度比例，并利用11株JEV和7株相关病毒株考核检测体系的保守性、特异性、灵敏性和稳定性；利用体外转录的病毒RNA和定量的病毒样品，建立相应的定量分析模型；初步应用于蚊虫媒介的监测与检测分析。结果Mg^2＋优化浓度为5mmol／L，上下游引物浓度比例为4：1，引物探针具有良好的保守性和特异性，灵敏度为10PFU／ml，稳定性分析表明，同一样品Ct值的重复检测5次，变异系数均小于5％；绘制两种标准曲线，构建了JEV基因拷贝数、病毒滴度为分析指标的定量分析模型，检测蚊虫标本结果显示，TaqMan PCR方法较病毒分离法敏感、快捷、简便。结论本研究建立了一种灵敏、特异、简便易行的JEVTaqMan PCR检测方法，为蚊虫媒介检测奠定了基础，为乙型脑炎的预防控制和脑炎相关疾病的诊断与鉴别诊断提供了一种技术手段。     

Activated CD56(+) lymphocytes (NK+NKT) mediate immunomodulatory and anti-viral effects during Japanese encephalitis virus infection of dendritic cells in-vitro

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) remains one of the major causative agents of pediatric encephalitis. Interaction of dendritic cells (DCs) with innate lymphocytes (NK and NKT) represents a crucial event during anti-viral innate immune response. In the current study, we have tried to understand the interaction between JEV, human monocyte derived DCs (MDDCs), and CD56⁺ cells (NK+NKT) in-vitro. We have used two JEV strains (i) JE057434 (neurovirulent, wild-type) and (ii) SA14-14-2 (non-neurovirulent, live-attenuated vaccine) to investigate the effect of viral virulence on the functional status of primary human MDDCs. Our preliminary results indicate that replicating JEV induces MDDCs maturation via PI3K and p38 pathways. We also show that the presence of IL2-activated CD56⁺ cells impart both immunomodulatory and anti-viral effects on DCs infected with JEV. Mechanistic studies illustrate that, IL2-activated CD56⁺ lymphocytes mediated immunomodulation occurs through direct cell-to-cell contact and TNFα, while the anti-viral effect is dependent on direct cell-to-cell contact.     

我国首次分离到基因Ⅰ型乙型脑炎病毒

目的　对新分离乙型脑炎病毒鉴定 ,了解病毒E基因区段的氨基酸序列特征及基因分型。方法　 2 0 0 1年在上海市采集蚊虫标本 ,用组织培养的方法分离到 7株病毒。进行病毒一般生物学鉴定 ,对病毒PrM和E基因区段约 2 0 0 0nt进行了扩增、克隆、测序。应用ClustalX软件做碱基配对和比较分析 ,种系发生采用PHYLIP软件包分析。结果　 7株病毒可以引起BHK 2 1细胞规律病变 ,病变时间为 6 0h。乳鼠脑内接种病毒后 72h死亡。所有新分离病毒与标准乙型脑炎病毒抗体阳性反应。用病毒PrM区段 (4 5 6～ 6 95位核苷酸 )进行的基因分型分析 ,新分离的 7株病毒属于基因Ⅰ型乙型脑炎病毒。以减毒活疫苗株SA14 14 2为标准 ,对 7株病毒的E基因区段进行分析 ,7株病毒之间核苷酸同源性在 97.7%以上 ,氨基酸同源性在 99.2 %以上 ;7株病毒与疫苗株SA14 14 2核苷酸差异在 12 .2 %左右 ,氨基酸差异在 2 .8%～ 3.2 %之间 ,共有 14个共同的氨基酸位点差异。结论　 2 0 0 1年在上海采集的蚊虫中新分离的 7株病毒属于基因Ⅰ型乙型脑炎病毒 ,为我国的首次报道     

四川省分离的基因1型乙型脑炎病毒分子特征分析

目的 从四川省巴中市采集的蚊虫标本中分离乙型脑炎(简称乙脑)病毒(JEV),确定其基因型别,并分析相关的基因1型乙脑病毒PrM和E基因区段氨基酸序列特征.方法 对2004年采集蚊虫标本进行病毒分离,对新分离的乙脑病毒进行生物学、血清学及分子生物学鉴定.逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)扩增新分离JEV的PrM、E区段核苷酸序列,测序后应用Clustal X软件做碱基配对分析,MEGA4软件完成病毒进化分析,GENEDOC(3.2)软件完成氨基酸位点分析,根据蜱传脑炎病毒可溶性蛋白晶体结构为模板进行乙脑病毒E蛋白三维结构模拟预测分析.结果 共采集4668只蚊虫标本,主要是骚扰阿蚊和库蚊,分离到6株病毒,经鉴定均属于基因1型的乙脑病毒.将四川省分离的6个毒株结合我国新分离的基因1型乙脑病毒与减毒活疫苗株SA14-14-2株的PrM区段和E区段氨基酸比较,发现PrM区段在PrM2、64和65位存在基因1型乙脑病毒独有的氨基酸位点差异,E区段存在14处共同的氨基酸位点差异,其中在E129、222、327和366位点为中国目前分离到的基因1型乙脑病毒所特有的位点特征.结论 从四川省巴中市首次分离到基因1型的乙脑病毒,并发现基因1型乙脑病毒与减毒活疫苗株之间PrM、E基因区段存在氨基酸差异,但现行疫苗株理论上可以保护新分离的基因1型乙脑病毒.     

中国分离乙脑病毒与灭活疫苗株(P3株)E基因差异分析

目的 分析我国近年来从蚊虫及患者标本中分离的乙脑病毒与灭活疫苗株（P3株）之间在E基因区段核苷酸及氨基酸差异。方法 从GenBank中获取相应乙脑病毒株E基因区段核苷酸序列，通过Clustal X（1．8）、DNASTAR、GENEDOC（3．2）等生物学软件进行分析。结果 P3株与福建分离株之间核苷酸同源性在98．3％-98．5％之间、氨基酸同源性在98．2％-98．6％之间；P3株与上海分离株之间核苷酸同源性在88．0％-88．5％之间、氨基酸同源性在98．0％-98．4％之间。E基因区段500个氨基酸中P3株与所有新分离乙脑病毒株之间共存在19个位点的差异，其中在E-76、E-306、E-408处所有新分离毒株与P3株存在共同的差异；在E-160、E-487处福建分离株与P3株存在共同差异；上海分离株与P3株在E-129、E-222、E-227、E-366存在共同差异。结论 上海蚊虫中分离的Ⅰ型乙脑病毒和福建省脑炎患者中分离的Ⅲ型乙脑病毒与P3株在E基因的部分氨基酸位点存在差异，但均不处在影响病毒生物学特性的关键位点。