Attenuated mutants of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus containing lethal mutations in the PE2 cleavage signal combined with a second-site suppressor mutation in E1.

The PE2 cleavage signal in a full-length cDNA clone of the alphavirus Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) was ablated by site-directed mutagenesis. RNA transcripts derived from the resulting plasmids programmed the production of nonviable particles upon transfection of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. However, the mutant RNAs also gave rise to a small proportion of viable revertants. Analysis of these biological revertants and their molecularly cloned homologs demonstrated that second-site suppressor mutations at either E2 position 243 or E1 position 253 were able to restore viability to PE2 cleavage signal mutants. The viable revertants incorporated unprocessed PE2 into particles which showed normal infectivity for BHK cells, but reduced ability to grow in C6/36 mosquito cells. A mutant carrying a lethal PE2 cleavage signal mutation in combination with a suppressor at E1 253 was either avirulent or highly attenuated in adult mice when inoculated by the subcutaneous, intracerebral, or intranasal route and conferred complete protection against both intraperitoneal and intranasal challenge with virulent VEE. These results indicate the close functional association of the E2 and E1 proteins in the alphavirus spike. They also have implications for the design of recombinant live virus vaccines for VEE, for other alphaviruses, and for other viruses that use a similar mechanism for glycoprotein maturation.

A molecular genetic approach to the study of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus pathogenesis.

Viral pathogenesis can be described as a series of steps, analogous to a biochemical pathway, whose endpoint is disease of the infected host. Distinct viral functions may be critical at each required step. Our genetic approach is to use Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) mutants blocked at different steps to delineate the process of pathogenesis. A full-length cDNA clone of a virulent strain of VEE was used as a template for in vitro mutagenesis to produce attenuated single-site mutants. The spread of molecularly cloned parent or mutant viruses in the mouse was monitored by infectivity, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and histopathology. Virulent VEE spread through the lymphatic system, produced viremia and replicated in several visceral organs. As virus was being cleared from these sites, it began to appear in the brain, frequently beginning in the olfactory tracts. A single-site mutant in the E2 glycoprotein appeared to block pathogenesis at a very early step, and required a reversion mutation to spread beyond the site of inoculation. The feasibility of combining attenuating mutations to produce a stable VEE vaccine strain has been demonstrated using three E2 mutations.

Attenuating mutations in the E2 glycoprotein gene of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus: construction of single and multiple mutants in a full-length cDNA clone.

Attenuated mutants of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) were isolated by selection for rapid penetration of cultured cells (R. E. Johnston and J. F. Smith, 1988, Virology 162, 437-443). Sequence analysis of these mutants identified candidate attenuating mutations at four loci in the VEE E2 glycoprotein gene: a double mutation at E2 codons 3 and 4, and single substitutions at E2 76, 120, and 209. Each candidate mutation was reproduced in an isogenic recombinant VEE strain using site-directed mutagenesis of a full-length cDNA clone of VEE. Characterization of these molecularly cloned mutant viruses showed that mutation at each of the four loci in the E2 gene was sufficient to confer both the accelerated penetration and attenuation phenotypes. Inoculation of the molecularly cloned viruses into rodent models that differ in their response to VEE suggested that individual mutations affected different aspects of VEE pathogenesis. Full-length clones containing multiple mutations were produced by combining independently attenuating mutations. Molecularly cloned viruses carrying two or three mutations were more attenuated in sensitive animal models than viruses which contained any single mutation alone. However, these highly attenuated strains still retained the ability to induce an immune response sufficient to protect against a high dose challenge with virulent VEE. These results indicate that production of a molecularly cloned live virus vaccine for VEE is feasible.