New viral vector for superproduction of epitopes of vaccine proteins in plants.

The novel viral vectors PVX-CP AltMV and PVXdt-CP AltMV are superexpressors of the capsid protein (CP). These viral vectors were constructed on the basis of the potato virus X (PVX) genome andAlternantheramosaic virus (AltMV) CP gene. The expression, based on the hybrid viral vectors, is genetically safe, since the systemic transport and formation of infective viral particles are blocked. CP AltMV can self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) in the absence of genomic RNA. The vectors can be used for the presentation of foreign peptides (including epitopes of human pathogens) on the surface of the VLP. The N-terminal extracellular domain (M2e) of the influenza virus A M2 protein and its truncated variant (ΔM2e) were used as model heterologous peptides for the construction of the chimeric CP AltMV. Chimeric CP AltMV retains its ability to self-assemble into VLP. The epitopes of the M2 influenza virus protein were not eliminated during the process of accumulation, polymerization and purification of chimeric VLP AltMV, providing evidence of the stability of chimeric VLP with C-terminal heterologous epitopes. It appears that VLP produced by the vectors PVX-CP AltMV and PVXdt-CP AltMV can be used in the field of biotechnology for the presentation of the epitopes of vaccine proteins on their surfaces. The chimeric VLP AltMV with the presented foreign epitopes can be used as candidate vaccines.

Movement protein-derived resistance to triple gene block-containing plant viruses.

Two mutant potato virus X (PVX) movement protein (MP) genes (m 12K-Sal and m 12K-Kpn) were obtained by inserting specific linkers at the boundary between the N-terminal hydrophobic and putative transmembrane segment, and the central invariant hydrophilic region of the respective 12 kDa, 12K, triple gene block (TGB) protein. Several transgenic potato lines which expressed m 12K-Sal or m 12K-Kpn to different degrees were resistant to infection by PVX, potato aucuba mosaic potexvirus and the carlaviruses potato virus M and S over a wide range of inoculum concentrations (3-300 micrograms/ml). However, they were not resistant to potato virus Y, which lacks a TGB protein. We suggest that the resistance of m 12K-Sal and m 12K-Kpn transgenic potato lines is MP-derived and not RNA-mediated.

Genome characterization and taxonomy of Plantago asiatica mosaic potexvirus.

The complete nucleotide sequence of Plantago asiatica mosaic virus (P1AMV) genomic RNA has been determined. The 6128 nucleotide sequence contains five open reading frames (ORFs) coding for proteins of M(r) 156K (ORF1), 25K (ORF2), 12K (ORF3), 13K (ORF4) and 22K (ORF5). The sequences of these P1AMV proteins exhibit strong homology to the proteins of the other potexviruses. Phylogenetic trees based on the multiple sequence alignments of three conserved domains in ORF1 product and capsid protein reveal a close relationship of P1AMV to papaya mosaic virus and clover yellow mosaic virus. The P1AMV genomic RNA and a major subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) of 0.9 kb have been detected in infected leaves by Northern blot hybridization. The latter sgRNA is the messenger for virus capsid protein and its 5' terminus has been located 23 nucleotides upstream of the initiator codon of the coat protein gene. The P1AMV virion RNA and RNA transcript resembling the 0.9 kb sgRNA have been translated in vitro giving rise to a single major 170K product and a major 22K product, respectively.

Poa semilatent virus, a hordeivirus having no internal polydisperse poly(A) in the 3' non-coding region of the RNA genome.

RNA from the Hungarian isolate of poa semilatent virus (PSLV) directed in vitro synthesis of 120K, 75K, 25K (coat protein) and 20K polypeptides. In vitro translation of PSLV RNA was blocked by the cap analogue, m7Gpp, thus suggesting that the virus RNA was capped. PSLV RNA could be aminoacylated with [14C]tyrosine in vitro. The sequence of 1.5 kb from the 3' end of the PSLV RNA gamma component revealed two open reading frames (ORFs) separated by a uridine-rich intergenic region. The putative product of the incomplete 5'-proximal ORF showed a close amino acid sequence similarity with the C-terminal segment of the gamma a protein (putative RNA replicase) encoded in the barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) RNA gamma, and the 20K product of the 3'-proximal ORF was found to be related to the 17K gamma b product of BSMV. The sequence of 0.8 kb from the 3' end of PSLV RNA beta encompassed two (incomplete) overlapping ORFs whose putative products are related to the beta c and beta d proteins encoded in the similarly arranged ORFs of BSMV RNA beta. Nucleotide sequence homology between the respective parts of the two hordeivirus genomes was restricted to the ORF for gamma a, the spacer between the ORFs for gamma a and gamma b, and the 3' non-coding region, particularly the 95 nucleotide segment at the 3' end representing a tRNA-like structure. Despite limited sequence conservation beyond this segment, the entire 3' non-coding region of PSLV RNA could be folded in a tight pseudoknotted structure closely resembling that of BSMV RNA. Surprisingly, the 'signature' sequence typical for BSMV RNA, internal polydisperse poly(A) intercalated between the coding part of the 3' tRNA-like structure, was not detected in the PSLV genome. Instead, the virus RNA contained several oligoadenylate stretches spaced by other residues, close to the junction of its coding and 3' non-coding portions.

Site-specific enzymatic cleavage of TMV RNA directed by deoxyribo- and chimeric (deoxyribo-ribo)oligonucleotides.

The TMV RNA molecule can be cleaved at a single site by RNase H directed by chimeric oligo(deoxyribo-ribo)nucleotide with an internucleotide pyrophosphate bond.

Site-specific cleavage and religation of viral RNAs. I. Infectivity of barley stripe mosaic virus RNA religated from functionally active segments and restoration of the internal poly(A) tract in progeny.

The genomic RNAs of barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) were used in experiments involving site-specific cleavage to yield noninfective but functionally active fragments and subsequent restoration of infectious viral RNA by means of religation. The specific fragments were obtained after site-specific cleavage of BSMV RNAs with RNase H in the presence of oligo(dT)10 complementary to the internal poly(A) track in BSMV genomic RNAs: (i) long (L) 5'-terminal fragments, lacking the tyrosine-accepting activity, but capable of directing in vitro a full set of BSMV-specific polypeptides (A. A. Agranovsky, V. V. Dolja, and J. G. Atabekov, 1982, Virology 119, 51-58) and (ii) short (Sh) fragments containing a tRNA-like structure accepting tyrosine. L- and Sh-fragments of BSMV RNAs were religated by T4 RNA ligase producing infectious BSMV RNA. The religated BSMV RNA was shown to lack the internal poly(A) track present in authentic BSMV RNA. Nevertheless the typical poly(A) spectra were restored in the progeny RNA from religated, poly(A) - deficient BSMV RNA.

Inhibition of ribonuclease contamination in preparations of T4 RNA ligase, polynucleotide kinase, and bacterial alkaline phosphatase with bentonite.

Commercial preparations of the enzymes used in the analysis of RNA primary structure (bacterial alkaline phosphatase, polynucleotide kinase, and RNA ligase) are virtually always more or less contaminated with RNases. This leads to degradation of initial RNAs in the course of labeling and formation of a set of spurious labeled fragments. We have shown that bentonite present in the incubation medium in a concentration of 0.04% selectively inhibits the contaminating RNases, not affecting the activities of bacterial alkaline phosphatase, polynucleotide kinase, and RNA ligase.