Effect of novel monoclonal antibodies on LIF-induced signaling in chicken blastodermal cells.

Leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) is indispensable for maintaining the undifferentiated state when propagating mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. We previously cloned chicken LIF (chLIF) cDNA and demonstrated that it maintained chicken ES cell cultures in an undifferentiated state. Here, we developed two monoclonal antibodies, HUL-1 and HUL-2, against chLIF, which specifically recognized recombinant chLIF (rchLIF) produced by Escherichia coli and Chinese hamster ovary K1 cells, in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and Western blot analysis. In addition, HUL-2 inhibited the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 by rchLIF in chicken blastodermal cells (CBCs), but not that of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. Furthermore, the addition of HUL-2 to CBC cultures resulted in embryoid bodies forming earlier than in normal cultures. These results indicated that HUL-2 recognized not only rchLIF but also native chLIF, and suggested that CBCs in culture produce LIF, which functions in autocrine signaling.

Previously unknown virus infects marine diatom.

Diatoms are a major phytoplankton group that play important roles in maintaining oxygen levels in the atmosphere and sustaining the primary nutritional production of the aquatic environment. Among diatoms, the genus Chaetoceros is one of the most abundant and widespread. Temperature, climate, salinity, nutrients, and predators were regarded as important factors controlling the abundance and population dynamics of diatoms. Here we show that a viral infection can occur in the genus Chaetoceros and should therefore be considered as a potential mortality source. Chaetoceros salsugineum nuclear inclusion virus (CsNIV) is a 38-nm icosahedral virus that replicates within the nucleus of C. salsugineum. The latent period was estimated to be between 12 and 24 h, with a burst size of 325 infectious units per host cell. CsNIV has a genome structure unlike that of other viruses that have been described. It consists of a single molecule of covalently closed circular single-stranded DNA (ssDNA; 6,005 nucleotides), as well as a segment of linear ssDNA (997 nucleotides). The linear segment is complementary to a portion of the closed circle creating a partially double-stranded genome. Sequence analysis reveals a low but significant similarity to the replicase of circoviruses that have a covalently closed circular ssDNA genome. This new host-virus system will be useful for investigating the ecological relationships between bloom-forming diatoms and other viruses in the marine system. Our study supports the view that, given the diversity and abundance of plankton, the ocean is a treasury of undiscovered viruses.

Algal viruses with distinct intraspecies host specificities include identical intein elements.

Heterosigma akashiwo virus (HaV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus infecting the single-cell bloom-forming raphidophyte (golden brown alga) H. akashiwo. A molecular phylogenetic sequence analysis of HaV DNA polymerase showed that it forms a sister group with Phycodnaviridae algal viruses. All 10 examined HaV strains, which had distinct intraspecies host specificities, included an intein (protein intron) in their DNA polymerase genes. The 232-amino-acid inteins differed from each other by no more than a single nucleotide change. All inteins were present at the same conserved position, coding for an active-site motif, which also includes inteins in mimivirus (a very large double-stranded DNA virus of amoebae) and in several archaeal DNA polymerase genes. The HaV intein is closely related to the mimivirus intein, and both are apparently monophyletic to the archaeal inteins. These observations suggest the occurrence of horizontal transfers of inteins between viruses of different families and between archaea and viruses and reveal that viruses might be reservoirs and intermediates in horizontal transmissions of inteins. The homing endonuclease domain of the HaV intein alleles is mostly deleted. The mechanism keeping their sequences basically identical in HaV strains specific for different hosts is yet unknown. One possibility is that rapid and local changes in the HaV genome change its host specificity. This is the first report of inteins found in viruses infecting eukaryotic algae.

Comparison of genome sequences of single-stranded RNA viruses infecting the bivalve-killing dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama.

Heterocapsa circularisquama RNA virus (HcRNAV) has at least two ecotypes (types UA and CY) that have intraspecies host specificities which are complementary to each other. We determined the complete genomic RNA sequence of two typical HcRNAV strains, HcRNAV34 and HcRNAV109, one of each ecotype. The nucleotide sequences of the viruses were 97.0% similar, and each had two open reading frames (ORFs), ORF-1 coding for a putative polyprotein having protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains and ORF-2 encoding a single major capsid protein. Phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp amino acid sequence suggested that HcRNAV belongs to a new previously unrecognized virus group. Four regions in ORF-2 had amino acid substitutions when HcRNAV34 was compared to HcRNAV109. We used a reverse transcription-nested PCR system to amplify the corresponding regions and also examined RNAs purified from six other HcRNAV strains with known host ranges. We also looked at natural marine sediment samples. Phylogenetic dendrograms for the amplicons correlated with the intraspecies host specificities of the test virus strains. The cloned sequences found in sediment also exhibited considerable similarities to either the UA-type or CY-type sequence. The tertiary structure of the capsid proteins predicted using computer modeling indicated that many of the amino acid substitutions were located in regions on the outside of the viral capsid proteins. This strongly suggests that the intraspecies host specificity of HcRNAV is determined by nanostructures on the virus surface that may affect binding to suitable host cells. Our study shows that capsid alterations can change the phytoplankton-virus (host-parasite) interactions in marine systems.

Isolation and characterization of a novel single-stranded RNA virus infecting the bloom-forming diatom Rhizosolenia setigera.

A novel single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus specifically infecting the bloom-forming diatom Rhizosolenia setigera (R. setigera RNA virus [RsRNAV]) was isolated from Ariake Sea, Japan. Viral replication occurred within the cytoplasm, and the virus particle was icosahedral, lacked a tail, and was 32 nm in diameter on average. The major nucleic acid extracted from the RsRNAV particles was an ssRNA molecule 11.2 kb in length, although smaller RNA molecules (0.6, 1.2, and 1.5 kb) were occasionally observed. The major structural proteins of RsRNAV were 41.5, 41.0, and 29.5 kDa. Inter- and intraspecies host specificity tests revealed that RsRNAV is not only species specific but also strain specific and that its intraspecies host specificity is diverse among virus clones. The latent period of RsRNAV was 2 days, and the burst sizes were 3,100 and 1,010 viruses per host cell when viruses were inoculated into the host culture at the exponential and stationary growth phases, respectively, at 15 degrees C under a 12-h-12-h light-dark cycle of ca. 110 micro mol of photons m(-2) s(-1) with cool white fluorescent illumination. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the biological properties of a virus infecting a diatom. Further studies on RsRNAV will be helpful in understanding the ecological relationship between diatoms and viruses in nature.

A variable region on the chlorovirus CVK2 genome contains five copies of the gene for Vp260, a viral-surface glycoprotein.

A 22.2-kb variable region near the left end of the chlorovirus CVK2 genome that was previously supposed to be expanded compared to the PBCV-1 genome was characterized. This region contains a tandem array of five gene copies for the Vp260-like protein, a viral-surface glycoprotein. The authentic 104-kDa Vp260 was found to be encoded at another site on the genome and to contain 13 internal tandem repeats of 61-65 amino acids, similar to the prominent Rickettsia surface antigen. The extra copies were also found to retain 10 of the internal repeats, despite the C-terminal deletions or extensions. These extra copies are conserved among chloroviruses isolated in various areas of Japan. By Northern blot analysis, these genes were demonstrated to be expressed late in infection. The proteins are incorporated into virions, as revealed by comparing viral structural proteins between wild-type and deletion mutants. These results indicate that extra copies of Vp260-like proteins encoded in a variable region on the genome may give variations in the surface nature of the chloroviral particles.