A functional sequence-specific interaction between influenza A virus genomic RNA segments.

Influenza A viruses cause annual influenza epidemics and occasional severe pandemics. Their genome is segmented into eight fragments, which offers evolutionary advantages but complicates genomic packaging. The existence of a selective packaging mechanism, in which one copy of each viral RNA is specifically packaged into each virion, is suspected, but its molecular details remain unknown. Here, we identified a direct intermolecular interaction between two viral genomic RNA segments of an avian influenza A virus using in vitro experiments. Using silent trans-complementary mutants, we then demonstrated that this interaction takes place in infected cells and is required for optimal viral replication. Disruption of this interaction did not affect the HA titer of the mutant viruses, suggesting that the same amount of viral particles was produced. However, it nonspecifically decreased the amount of viral RNA in the viral particles, resulting in an eightfold increase in empty viral particles. Competition experiments indicated that this interaction favored copackaging of the interacting viral RNA segments. The interaction we identified involves regions not previously designated as packaging signals and is not widely conserved among influenza A virus. Combined with previous studies, our experiments indicate that viral RNA segments can promote the selective packaging of the influenza A virus genome by forming a sequence-dependent supramolecular network of interactions. The lack of conservation of these interactions might limit genetic reassortment between divergent influenza A viruses.

Critical role of segment-specific packaging signals in genetic reassortment of influenza A viruses.

The fragmented nature of the influenza A genome allows the exchange of gene segments when two or more influenza viruses infect the same cell, but little is known about the rules underlying this process. Here, we studied genetic reassortment between the A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2, MO) virus originally isolated from human and the avian A/Finch/England/2051/91 (H5N2, EN) virus and found that this process is strongly biased. Importantly, the avian HA segment never entered the MO genetic background alone but always was accompanied by the avian PA and M fragments. Introduction of the 5' and 3' packaging sequences of HA(MO) into an otherwise HA(EN) backbone allowed efficient incorporation of the chimerical viral RNA (vRNA) into the MO genetic background. Furthermore, forcing the incorporation of the avian M segment or introducing five silent mutations into the human M segment was sufficient to drive coincorporation of the avian HA segment into the MO genetic background. These silent mutations also strongly affected the genotype of reassortant viruses. Taken together, our results indicate that packaging signals are crucial for genetic reassortment and that suboptimal compatibility between the vRNA packaging signals, which are detected only when vRNAs compete for packaging, limit this process.

An in vitro network of intermolecular interactions between viral RNA segments of an avian H5N2 influenza A virus: comparison with a human H3N2 virus.

The genome of influenza A viruses (IAV) is split into eight viral RNAs (vRNAs) that are encapsidated as viral ribonucleoproteins. The existence of a segment-specific packaging mechanism is well established, but the molecular basis of this mechanism remains to be deciphered. Selective packaging could be mediated by direct interaction between the vRNA packaging regions, but such interactions have never been demonstrated in virions. Recently, we showed that the eight vRNAs of a human H3N2 IAV form a single interaction network in vitro that involves regions of the vRNAs known to contain packaging signals in the case of H1N1 IAV strains. Here, we show that the eight vRNAs of an avian H5N2 IAV also form a single network of interactions in vitro, but, interestingly, the interactions and the regions of the vRNAs they involve differ from those described for the human H3N2 virus. We identified the vRNA sequences involved in five of these interactions at the nucleotide level, and in two cases, we validated the existence of the interaction using compensatory mutations in the interacting sequences. Electron tomography also revealed significant differences in the interactions taking place between viral ribonucleoproteins in H5N2 and H3N2 virions, despite their canonical '7 + 1' arrangement.

Empaquetage sélectif du génome des influenzavirus A.

Electron microscopy of influenza A virus (IAV) and three-dimensional reconstruction of their interior by electron tomography, combined with genetic, biochemical and virology assays, has revealed that genome packaging of IAVs is a selective process, the molecular mechanisms of which start to be unveiled. The eight genomic viral RNAs (vRNAs) most likely form a supramolecular complex maintained by base-pairings within the strain-dependent packaging signals of each vRNA. Visualization of viral ribonucleoproteins inside cells also brought new insights about spatio-temporal assembly of the supramolecular complexes, prior to their incorporation into budding virions. Altogether, these data improve our understanding of the rules governing packaging of the IAV genome and offer clues for optimization of vaccine seeds production. Genetic reassortment events between different IAVs, which can lead to severe pandemics, are probably also affected by the rules that govern genome packaging.

Microtriplication of 11q24.1: a highly recognisable phenotype with short stature, distinctive facial features, keratoconus, overweight, and intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Partial tetrasomy is mainly described as a cytogenetically visible rearrangement due to a supernumerary chromosome (i(12p), i(18p), inv dup(15)). Except for chromosome 15q11q13, intrachromosomal triplications are rare and so far not associated with a recognisable phenotype. METHODS AND RESULTS: This report describes two unrelated patients with a de novo non-recurrent submicroscopic interstitial triplication 11q24.1 detected with array comparative genomic hybridisation and confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation, molecular combing, and quantitative PCR. Microsatellite analysis suggested that a common mechanism of rearrangement might have been involved. These patients share remarkably similar clinical features including distinctive facial dysmorphisms, short stature with small extremities, keratoconus, overweight, and intellectual disability. The overlapping region of 1.8 Mb contains 11 RefSeq genes and three microRNA related genes. Interestingly, the overexpression of ASAM, a gene encoding an adipocyte specific adhesion molecule, may contribute to patients' obesity. Upregulation of BILD, known to mediate apoptosis in a caspase dependent manner, could deserve further investigation into the pathological mechanism of keratoconus. CONCLUSION: Isolated duplications of distal 11q region have been previously reported and associated with intellectual disability but without a consistent set of clinical features. These findings support the proposal that microtriplication 11q24.1 is a well recognisable clinical entity.