Inherited C-terminal TREX1 variants disrupt homology-directed repair to cause senescence and DNA damage phenotypes in Drosophila, mice, and humans.

Age-related microangiopathy, also known as small vessel disease (SVD), causes damage to the brain, retina, liver, and kidney. Based on the DNA damage theory of aging, we reasoned that genomic instability may underlie an SVD caused by dominant C-terminal variants in TREX1, the most abundant 3'-5' DNA exonuclease in mammals. C-terminal TREX1 variants cause an adult-onset SVD known as retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL or RVCL-S). In RVCL, an aberrant, C-terminally truncated TREX1 mislocalizes to the nucleus due to deletion of its ER-anchoring domain. Since RVCL pathology mimics that of radiation injury, we reasoned that nuclear TREX1 would cause DNA damage. Here, we show that RVCL-associated TREX1 variants trigger DNA damage in humans, mice, and Drosophila, and that cells expressing RVCL mutant TREX1 are more vulnerable to DNA damage induced by chemotherapy and cytokines that up-regulate TREX1, leading to depletion of TREX1-high cells in RVCL mice. RVCL-associated TREX1 mutants inhibit homology-directed repair (HDR), causing DNA deletions and vulnerablility to PARP inhibitors. In women with RVCL, we observe early-onset breast cancer, similar to patients with BRCA1/2 variants. Our results provide a mechanistic basis linking aberrant TREX1 activity to the DNA damage theory of aging, premature senescence, and microvascular disease.

Cooperative effects of immune enhancer TPPPS and different adjuvants on antibody responses induced by recombinant ALV-J gp85 subunit vaccines in SPF chickens.

To explore the antibody responses and protective effects induced by subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) gp85 protein vaccine plus different adjuvants (CpG and white oil adjuvant YF01) combined with the immune enhancer Taishan Pinus massoniana pollen polysaccharide (TPPPS), we immunized SPF chickens with the recombinant ALV-J gp85 protein, along with different adjuvants and immune enhancer, which protected the chickens by inducing different levels of protective antibodies. Results showed that a single injection of gp85 recombinant protein could only produce low-titre antibodies that were maintained over a short time in few chickens. When combined with YF01 or CpG adjuvants, the recombinant protein could induce high-titre antibodies in most of the immunized chickens. Moreover, when the immune enhancer TPPPS was used with the two adjuvants, it further elevated the antibody levels for a longer duration. The eggs from four groups with the highest levels of ALV-J antibodies were collected, hatched, and examined for maternal antibodies. The protection by the maternal antibodies against ALV-J infection in the TPPPS-immunized group was higher than that in the group without TPPPS, which was consistent with the observations in the parents. This study shows that the immune enhancer TPPPS, combined with YF01 or CpG adjuvants, can enhance the immunogenicity of gp85 recombinant proteins, and provide a better immuno-protection. It provides a powerful experimental basis for the development of ALV-J subunit vaccine. Efficient subunit vaccine development will also accelerate the process of purification of ALV-J.

Gp85 genetic diversity of avian leukosis virus subgroup J among different individual chickens from a native flock.

To compare the genetic diversity and quasispecies evolution of avian leukosis virus (ALV) among different individuals, 5 chickens, raised in Shandong Provice of China, were randomly selected from a local chicken flock associated with serious tumor cases. Blood samples were collected and inoculated into chicken embryo fibroblast and DF-1 cell lines for virus isolation and identification, respectively, of Marek's disease virus (MDV), reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), and ALV. Five strains of ALV subgroup J (ALV-J) were identified, and the gp85 gene from each strain was amplified and cloned. For each strain, about 20 positive clones of gp85 gene were selected for sequence analyses and the variability of the quasispecies of the 5 strains was compared. The results showed that the nuclear acid length of gp85 gene of 5 ALV-J isolates is 921 bp, 921 bp, 924 bp, 918 bp, and 912 bp respectively, and amino acid homologies of different gp85 clones from the 5 ALV-J strains were 99.3 to 100%, 99.3 to 100%, 99.4 to 100%, 98.4 to 100%, 99.0 to 100%, respectively. The proportions of dominant quasispecies were 65.0%, 85.0%, 85.0%, 50.0%, 84.2%, respectively, and homology of the gp85 among these dominant quasispecies was 89.2 to 92.5%. These data demonstrated the composition of the ALV-J quasispecies varied among infected individuals even within the same flock, and the dominant quasispecies continued to evolve both for their proportion and gene mutation.

Isolation, identification, and hexon gene characterization of fowl adenoviruses from a contaminated live Newcastle disease virus vaccine.

To investigate the possible causes of the massive spread of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) infection among chickens in recent years in China, 32 batches of live-virus vaccines were tested for contamination with FAdV by PCR. Among these, 1 live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine of the LaSota strain was demonstrated to be positive for contamination. The amplified hexon gene exhibited 99.8% identity with a recent Chinese field isolate (JSJ13) of FAdV-4. The positive LaSota vaccine was first neutralized with anti-NDV serum and then inoculated into specific pathogen-free embryos at embryonic day 5 through the yolk sac for isolation of the contaminated FAdV. The same hexon gene bands were amplified from extracted DNA of the liver tissues and chicken embryo allantoic fluid of the inoculated embryos, indicating the replication and isolation of the FAdV-4 virus strain that had contaminated the vaccine. This represents the first report of FAdV-4 contamination in a live vaccine for poultry in China. These findings suggest that contamination of live vaccine might represent one of the most important causes of massive outbreaks of FAdV infection among chickens and indicate that FAdV should therefore be included in the regular monitoring list for the detection of exogenous viral contamination of attenuated vaccines for poultry.