Characterization of newly emerging Newcastle disease virus isolates from the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.
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Seven Newcastle disease (ND) virus (NDV) isolates which were recovered from ND outbreaks in chicken and pigeon flocks in China and Taiwan between 1996 and 2000 were genotypically and pathotypically characterized. By phylogenetic analysis of the fusion protein genes, isolates Ch-A7/96, Ch/98-3, Ch/99, Ch/2000, and TW/2000 were placed into two novel subgenotypes, VIIc and VIId. Isolate Ch/98-1 was grouped into subgenotype VIb, while Ch-W6/96 was proven to be a mixture of isolates Ch-A7/96 and Ch/98-1. These isolates were pathotyped as viscerotropic velogenic for Ch/98-3, Ch/99, Ch/2000, and TW/2000; neurotropic velogenic for Ch-A7/96; and mesogenic for Ch/98-1. Three separate, comparative, genetic analyses of the F genes, including genetic distance measurement, phylogenetic tree analysis, and residue substitution analysis, were performed with our isolates and selected NDV strains from GenBank. Results showed that the close genetic similarity provided evidence for the epidemiological linkage between the outbreaks in China and Taiwan and that the 1990s outbreaks in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe constituted the fourth panzootic of ND. In combination with epidemiological analysis, an evolutionary model of the NDV strains, representative of the direction of transmission within the NDV strains, was proposed, and epidemiology of NDV transmission was evaluated with emphasis on molecular aspects. Finally, a cross-protective experiment indicated that at least one strain (Ch-A7/96) among our NDV isolates was an antigenic variant, responsible for recent outbreaks of ND in vaccinated chicken flocks. (+info)
The major gangliosides of human peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages: absence of ganglio series structures.
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Sialoglycosphingolipids (gangliosides) are membrane components of eukaryotic cells that modulate cell signal transduction events. Discrepancies exist in the published descriptions of the gangliosides present in the human peripheral monocyte/macrophage. Macrophages were isolated from healthy human volunteers by two different methods. Their ganglioside fractions were isolated and examined by 2D thin-layer mobility, enzymatic susceptibility, and mass spectral-collision induced dissociation-mass spectral analyses. Thin-layer ganglioside chromatographic patterns displayed four major doublets and were similar for monocytes/macrophages isolated by either apheresis/elutriation or density gradient centrifugation. All gangliosides were resistant to beta-galactosidase but sensitive to Clostridium perfringens sialidase, indicating the absence of terminal galactose residues and sialidase-resistant sialic acid moieties. Mass spectra indicated only three major sets of glycolipid components with mass heterogeneity in the ceramide portion of each set. In all the gangliosides, the ceramide moiety contained only C18 sphingosine with the heterogeneity produced by the presence of C16 or C24 fatty acid. One doublet was resistant to Newcastle disease virus sialidase, indicating the presence of an alpha(2-6)-linked sialic acid residue with the same mass as another doublet. All data was consistent with the following structures as the major gangliosides of human peripheral monocyte/macrophages: II(3)NeuAcLacCer (sialolactosyl ceramide, GM3), IV(3)- and IV(6)NeuAcnLcOse(4)Cer (sialoparagloboside, nLM1), and IV(3)NeuAcnLcOse(6)Cer (a sialohexosylceramide). (+info)
Agglutination-separation reactions of red blood cells sensitized with Newcastle disease virus: quantities, agglutination characteristics, and serology of altered virus and HN spikes released following neuraminidase reactivation.
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Red blood cells (RBC) become sensitized following the elution of strain 575 Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The neuraminidase (NA) in the haemagglutinin (HA)-sialic acid configuration is inactive. The HA on sensitized RBC agglutinates normal RBC. The sialic acid on normal RBC initiated reactivation of the NA-a newly described function. Then normal-sensitized RBC agglomerates separated at 37 degrees C in the irreversible agglutination-separation (AS) reactions. With separation the AS products. HN spikes (150-200 kDa) and altered NDV, which contain fewer HN spikes than intact allantoic NDV, were removed from the sensitized RBC and the NDV membrane. Extraction of HN spikes from the membrane required more sialic acid than the removal of AS products from RBC. Thus 2 reactions were delineated for the orderly removal. Amounts of each released AS product suggest the source of the HN spikes. AS reactions and ether treatment of NDV increased the HA titres up to 19.2 fold. HA-sialic acid configurations were estimated by the amounts of normal RBC agglutinated by sensitized RBC and also by agglutination with fetuin. Elution of B1 vaccine, HN spikes from ether-treated NDV as well as AS products separated on sephadex resulted in incompletely sensitized RBC; fewer configurations were titrated with normal RBC; all failed to respond to anti-NA antibody. In contrast, sensitized RBC or suspensions of 575 NDV, but not the B1 vaccine strain, responded to both anti-NA and anti-HA antibody. Sensitization, slow elution, and responding to anti-NA antibody, which was accompanied by fluorescent foci on sensitized RBC, required intact NDV and the infrequent HA-sialic acid configuration. The NA was inactive for the HA-sialic acid configuration but cleaved fetuin, indicating substrate specificity. An inactive NA would allow time for fusion and NDV penetration rather than elution by an active NA early in NDV infection. (+info)
Protein metabolism during the steady state of Newcastle disease virus infection. I. Kinetics of amino acid and protein accumulation.
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Pulse-chase experiments and studies on the effects of varying pulse lenghts on radioactive amino acid and protein accumulation have been carried out to evaluate several possible mechanisms for the inhibition in cellular protein accumulation during infection of chicken embryo cells by Newcastle disease virus. The inhibition is probably at the level of synthesis of cellular protein since no evidence for either increased degradation of protein or alterations in cellular permeability to protein was found in infected cultures. The magnitude of the reduction in the rate of cellular protein accumulation and consequently total protein accumulation depend upon the length of the radioisotopic labeling period. In contrast, the rate of viral protein accumulation is independent of the length of the labeling period. A double-label difference analysis of polyacrylamide gels was used in all of the kinetics studies to distinguish between viral and cellular protein accumulation. An unstable fraction which could be labeled with radioactive amino acids was detected in both infected and uninfected cultures. This material migrated mainly in the 50,000- to 60,000-dalton region of polyacrylamide gels, exhibited saturation kinetics during accumulation studies, and turned over rapidly during a chase. The relative amount of this fraction was not affected by infection. Gel analysis of the radioactive protein recovered from the medium from both infected and uninfected cultures revealed a major component with an apparent molecular weight of 33,000. None of the major viral polypeptides could be detected in the medium after a 30-min chase following a brief labeling period. (+info)
Mutational analysis of the membrane proximal heptad repeat of the newcastle disease virus fusion protein.
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Paramyxovirus fusion proteins have two heptad repeat domains, HR1 and HR2, that have been implicated in the fusion activity of the protein. Peptides from these two domains form a six-stranded, coiled-coil with the HR1 sequences forming a central trimer and three molecules of the HR2 helix located within the grooves in the central trimer (Baker et al., 1999, Mol. Cell 3, 309; Zhao et al. 2000, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 14172). Nonconservative mutations were made in the HR2 domain of the Newcastle disease virus fusion protein in residues that are likely to form contacts with the HR1 core trimer. These residues form the hydrophobic face of the helix and adjacent residues ("a" and "g" positions in the HR2 helical wheel structure). Mutant proteins were characterized for effects on synthesis, steady-state levels, proteolytic cleavage, and surface expression as well as fusion activity as measured by syncytia formation, content mixing, and lipid mixing. While all mutant proteins were transport competent and proteolytically cleaved, these mutations did variously affect fusion activity of the protein. Nonconservative mutations in the "g" position had no effect on fusion. In contrast, single changes in the middle "a" position of HR2 inhibited lipid mixing, content mixing, and syncytia formation. A single mutation in the more carboxyl-terminal "a" position had minimal effects on lipid mixing but did inhibit content mixing and syncytia formation. These results are consistent with the idea that the HR2 domain is involved in posttranslational interactions with HR1 that mediate the close approach of membranes. These results also suggest that the HR2 domain, particularly the carboxyl-terminal region, plays an additional role in fusion, a role related to content mixing and syncytia formation. (+info)
Recombinant Newcastle disease virus as a vaccine vector.
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A complete cDNA clone of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine strain Hitchner B1 was constructed, and infectious recombinant virus expressing an influenza virus hemagglutinin was generated by reverse genetics. The rescued virus induces a strong humoral antibody response against influenza virus and provides complete protection against a lethal dose of influenza virus challenge in mice, demonstrating the potential of recombinant NDV as a vaccine vector. (+info)
The effect of interferon inducers on colony stimulating factor production in L cell cultures.
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Bone marrow colony-stimulating activity in the culture media of L cell mono-layers treated with Newcastle disease virus or polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid showed an early increase followed by a marked fall fo activity when compared with non-induced cultures. (+info)
Plasmid-only rescue of influenza A virus vaccine candidates.
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The potential threat of another influenza virus pandemic stimulates discussion on how to prepare for such an event. The most reasonable prophylactic approach appears to be the use of effective vaccines. Since influenza and other negative-stranded RNA viruses are amenable to genetic manipulation using transfection by plasmids, it is possible to outline new reverse genetics-based approaches for vaccination against influenza viruses. We suggest three approaches. First, we use a plasmid-only rescue system that allows the rapid generation of high-yield recombinant vaccine strains. Second, we propose developing second-generation live influenza virus vaccines by constructing an attenuated master strain with deletions in the NS1 protein, which acts as an interferon antagonist. Third, we suggest the use of Newcastle disease virus recombinants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin proteins of pandemic (epizootic) strains as novel vaccine vectors for use in animals and possibly humans. (+info)