Interleukin 12-containing influenza virus-like-particle vaccine elevate its protective activity against heterotypic influenza virus infection.

To produce monovalent and bivalent influenza vaccines composed of virus-like particles (VLPs) containing hemagglutinin (HA), we generated four recombinant Baculoviruses derived from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) and Autographa california nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV). Monovalent Fukushima (A/tufted duck/Fukushima/16/2011 [H5N1]) (FkH5) and Anhui (A/Anhui/1/2013 [H7N9]) (AnH7) VLP influenza vaccines were produced in silkworm pupae infected with FkH5-BmNPV or AnH7-BmNPV. To produce a bivalent FkH5 and AnH7 vaccine, the pupae were simultaneously inoculated with FkH5-BmNPV and AnH7-BmNPV. Then, interleukin (IL)-containing bivalent vaccines were produced by Eri silkworm pupae following triple infection with FkH5-AcNPV, AnH7-AcNPV, and IL-12-AcNPV. Fluorescent antibody tests in Sf9 cells triple-infected with FkH5-AcNPV, AnH7-AcNPV, and IL-12-AcNPV showed coexpression of FkH5, AnH7, and IL-12 antigens, suggesting the presence of VLPs containing all three antigens. We then performed competitive hemagglutination inhibition (CHI) tests to calculate the VLP vaccine constituents. Inoculation with two recombinant viruses led to the production of bivalent vaccines containing very similar amounts of the H5 and H7 antigens, suggesting that our dual infection system can be used to produce bivalent VLP vaccines. Immunisation of mice with our developed monovalent and bivalent VLP vaccines induced the production of HI antibody, which protected against a sublethal dose of influenza virus. These IL-12-containing vaccines tended to display increased protection against hetero-subtype influenza viruses.

Overexpression of a virus-like particle influenza vaccine in Eri silkworm pupae, using Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus and host-range expansion.

Ecological investigations of silkworms have revealed that Eri silkworms (Samia cynthia ricini) possess useful morphological and ecological characteristics for virus-like particle (VLP) production, namely non-seasonal breeding, longer lengths, and heavier weights than Bombyx mori silkworms. Furthermore, when vector DNA from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV), which is unable to replicate in Sf9 cells from Eri silkworms, was replaced with the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) vector, three improved AcNPV influenza virus recombinants capable of replication in Sf9 cells were obtained. Although VLP antigens produced previously in silkworms were not evaluated individually, the present recombinant Fukushima (FkH5) and Anhui (AnH7) VLP antigens were detected in tissue fluids and fat bodies of Eri silkworms. Here, we aimed to determine the function of the AcNPV vector and P143 gene by expressing recombinants in Sf9 cells and eri silkworm pupae. The FkH5 recombinant produced high yields of haemagglutinin (HA)-positive VLPs, showing a mean HA titre of 1.2 million. Similarly, high production of H7 HA VLPs was observed in the fat bodies of eri silkworm pupae. Antigenic analysis and electron microscopy examination of Eri-silkworm-produced H5 HA VLPs showed characteristic antigenicity and morphology similar to those of the influenza virus. Although FkH5 recombinants possessing the AcNPV vector did not replicate in Bm-N cells, the introduction of the helicase p143 gene from BmNPV resulted in their production in Bm-N and Sf9 cells.

Development of a Japanese encephalitis virus genotype V virus-like particle vaccine in silkworms.

To counter the spread of multiple Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) variants harboured in alternative host species and highly neurotoxic variants with new antigenicity, such as genotype V (Muar), methods for developing more effective and low-cost vaccines against a variety of epidemic JEV strains are required. Here, we successfully synthesized large amounts of a Muar virus-like particle (MVLP) vaccine for JEV in silkworm pupae by using a Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus recombinant consisting of JEV codon-optimized envelope (E) DNA. In particular, histopathological examination suggested that MVLP was efficiently synthesized in body fat tissues as well as epithelial cells. Quantitative analysis indicated that one silkworm pupa produced 724.8 µg of E protein in the MVLP vaccine. Electron microscopic examination of purified MVLP vaccine defined a typical MVLP morphological structure. Detailed MVLP antigen assessment by immune-electron microscopy revealed that the majority of MVLPs were covered with approximately 10 nm projections. Boosted immunization with MVLP antigens in mice and rabbits tended to show improved plaque inhibition potency against homologous Muar and heterologous Nakayama, but less potency to Beijing-1 strains. Notably, mixed immune rabbit antisera against Nakayama and Muar VLP antigens led to an increase in the low antibody reaction to Beijing-1. Additionally, a stopgap divalent JEV vaccine consisting of MVLP and Nakayama VLP and its immune mouse serum significantly increased plaque inhibition titre against Muar, Nakayama and Beijing-1 strains. These findings suggested that low-cost MVLP vaccines prepared in silkworm pupae are suitable for providing simultaneous protection of individuals in developing countries against various JEV strains.

Functional growth inhibition of influenza A and B viruses by liquid and powder components of leaves from the subtropical plant Melia azedarach L.

We evaluated the anti-influenza-virus effects of Melia components and discuss the utility of these components. The effects of leaf components of Melia azedarach L. on viruses were examined, and plaque inhibition tests were performed. The in vivo efficacy of M. azedarach L. was tested in a mouse model. Leaf components of Melia azedarach L. markedly inhibited the growth of various influenza viruses. In an initial screening, multiplication and haemagglutination (HA) activities of H1N1, H3N2, H5, and B influenza viruses were inactivated by the liquid extract of leaves of M. azedarach L. (MLE). Furthermore, plaque inhibition titres of H1N1, H3N2, and B influenza viruses treated with MLE ranged from 103.7 to 104.2. MLE possessed high plaque-inhibitory activity against pandemic avian H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2 vaccine candidate strains, with a plaque inhibition titre of more than 104.2. Notably, the buoyant density decreased from 1.175 to 1.137 g/cm3, and spikeless particles appeared. We identified four anti-influenza virus substances: pheophorbide b, pheophorbide a, pyropheophorbide a, and pheophytin a. Photomorphogenesis inside the envelope may lead to removal of HA and neuraminidase spikes from viruses. Thus, MLE could efficiently remove floating influenza virus in the air space without toxicity. Consistent with this finding, intranasal administration of MLE in mice significantly decreased the occurrence of pneumonia. Additionally, leaf powder of Melia (MLP) inactivated influenza viruses and viruses in the intestines of chickens. MLE and MLP may have applications as novel, safe biological disinfectants for use in humans and poultry.

Development of a Japanese encephalitis virus-like particle vaccine in silkworms using codon-optimised prM and envelope genes.

We have successfully prepared a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) - Nakayama virus like particle (NVLP) vaccine using synthetic codon-optimized prM and E genes. The expression of the recombinant JEV Nakayama-BmNPV (JEV-NNPV) virus was determined in infected silkworm Bm-N cells by fluorescence and Western blot analysis. The recombinant was inoculated into silkworm pupae and the yield of Nakayama VLP (NVLP) reached a peak in the homogenates after 3 days. Additionally, in the peptide analysis of infected pupae homogenate, it appeared approximately 300-500 µg E protein/pupa were produced. When purified the above eluates on the discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation, NVLP showed a strong hemagglutination (HA) activity by using chicken red blood cell in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) free from Mg++ and Ca++ ions. The immune antisera against NVLP strain could efficiently neutralize the plaque formation of Nakayama, Beijing-1 and Muar strains, showing tendency of much higher reaction with heterologous Muar strain than homologous Nakayama strain. Our findings suggest that the JEV-NVLP may be useful for JEV epidemic control in many endemic areas of Asian countries as a widely effective and less expensive JE vaccine.

Quantitative analysis of the yield of avian H7 influenza virus haemagglutinin protein produced in silkworm pupae with the use of the codon-optimized DNA: A possible oral vaccine.

In this study, we aimed to quantitatively compare the increased production of three H7 influenza virus-like particle (VLP) haemagglutinin (HA) with the use of a codon-optimized single HA gene in silkworm pupae. Recombinant baculovirus (Korea H7-BmNPV) could produce 0.40 million HA units per pupa, corresponding to 1832µg protein. The yield of the HA produced in larva was estimated to be approximately 0.31 million HA units per larva, and there were no significant differences between the three HA proteins. We could establish efficient recovery system of HA production in larvae and pupae with the use of three cycles sonication methods. Next, we compared yields of HA proteins from three different H7 and two H5 recombinant baculoviruses based on the amount of mRNA synthesized in BmN cells, suggesting that mRNA synthesis may be also a useful indicator for the production of HA. Based on HA titres from four recombinants, the yield of HA had a great influence on the codon-optimized effect and the characteristics of the viral HA gene. The recombinant containing codon optimized HA DNA of A/tufted duck/Fukushima/16/2011 (H5N1) did produce more than one million HA units, although another recombinant including of the wild H5N1 strain failed to show HA activity. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of large VLP and small HA particle in the heavy and light fractions. The purified VLPs reacted with the authentic anti-H7 antibodies and the antibodies prepared after immunization with the VLP H7 antigen. Also H5 and H7VLPs could produce HI antibody in chickens and mice with oral immunization. The antibodies elicited with oral immunization were confirmed in fluorescent antibody analysis and western blotting in Korea H5-BmNPV and H7HA-BmNPV recombinant infected BmN cells. Taken together, these findings provided important insights into future oral vaccine development.

The large-scale production of an artificial influenza virus-like particle vaccine in silkworm pupae.

We successfully established a mass production system for an influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine using a synthetic H5 hemagglutinin (HA) gene codon-optimized for the silkworm. A recombinant baculovirus containing the synthetic gene was inoculated into silkworm pupae. Four days after inoculation, the hemagglutination titer in homogenates from infected pupae reached a mean value of 0.8 million hemagglutination units (HAU), approximately 2,000 µg HA protein per pupa, more than 50-fold higher than that produced with an embryonated chicken egg. VLPs ranging from 30 nm to 300 nm in diameter and covered with a large number of spikes were detected in the homogenates. The spikes were approximately 14 nm long, similar to an authentic influenza HA spike. Detailed electron micrographs indicated that the VLP spike density was similar to that of authentic influenza virus particles. The results clearly show that the expression of a single HA gene can efficiently produce VLPs in silkworm pupae. When chickens were immunized with the pupae homogenate, the hemagglutination inhibition titer in their sera reached values of 2,048-8,192 after approximately 1 month. This is the first report demonstrating that a large amount of VLP vaccine could be produced by single synthetic HA gene in silkworm pupae. Our system might be useful for future vaccine development against other viral diseases.

An amino acid substitution (V3I) in the Japanese encephalitis virus NS4A protein increases its virulence in mice, but not its growth rate in vitro.

Our previous studies have shown that the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strain Mie/40/2004 is the most virulent of the strains isolated by us in Japan from 2002 to 2004. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of Mie/40/2004 with those of low-virulence strains revealed that an isoleucine residue at position 3 of the Mie/40/2004 NS4A protein may increase viral pathogenicity. A recombinant virus with a single valine-to-isoleucine substitution (V3I) at position 3 in the low-virulence Mie/41/2002 background (rJEV-Mie41-NS4A(V3I)) exhibited increased virulence in mice compared with the Mie/41/2002 parent strain. The V3I mutation did not affect virus growth in several cell lines. These results demonstrate that the isoleucine at position 3 in the NS4A protein of Mie/40/2004 is responsible for its high virulence in vivo. This is the first report to show that an amino acid substitution in a flavivirus NS4A protein alters viral pathogenicity in mice.

Molecular and virological analyses of dengue virus responsible for dengue outbreak in East Timor in 2005.

A severe dengue outbreak occurred in East Timor in 2005. The dengue virus genome was detected by TaqMan RT-PCR in 40 serum samples, as follows: dengue virus type-3 (DENV-3) in 37 samples, DENV-2 in 2 samples, and DENV-1 in one sample. One DENV-1 genome, one DENV-2 genome, and 5 DENV-3 genomes were sequenced, and these specimens were aligned with the previously determined envelope (E) gene sequences. The DENV-1 strain belonged to genotype IV and was close to those previously isolated in Indonesia and Australia. The DENV-2 strain belonged to genotype I and was close to those previously isolated in Indonesia, Australia, the Far East, and India in 1993-2001. The DENV-3 strain belonged to genotype I and was close to those previously isolated in Indonesia. The results indicate that the dengue outbreak was caused mainly by DENV-3, with DENV-1 and DENV-2 as minor serotypes, and suggest that these strains of 3 serotypes of DENV entered East Timor from neighboring countries, co-circulated, and caused the dengue outbreak in 2005.

A single mutation in the Japanese encephalitis virus E protein (S123R) increases its growth rate in mouse neuroblastoma cells and its pathogenicity in mice.

We previously reported that the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strain Mie/41/2002 has weak pathogenicity compared with the laboratory strain Beijing-1. To identify the determinants of its growth nature and pathogenicity, we produced intertypic viruses, rJEV(EB1-M41), rJEV(nEB1-M41) and rJEV(cEB1-M41), which contained the entire, the N-terminal, and the C-terminal half, respectively, of the Beijing-1 E region in the Mie/41/2002 background. The growth of rJEV(EB1-M41) in mouse neuroblastoma N18 cells and virulence in mice were similar to those of Beijing-1. rJEV(nEB1-M41) propagated in N18 cells to the same extent as did Beijing-1. Furthermore, we produced mutant viruses with single amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal half of the Mie/41/2002 E region. A Ser-123-Arg mutation in the Mie/41/2002 E protein exhibited significantly increased growth rate in N18 cells and virulence in mice. These results indicate that the position 123 in the E protein is responsible for determining the growth properties and pathogenicity of JEV.

Dengue virus type 2 isolated from an imported dengue patient in Japan: first isolation of dengue virus from Nepal.

We report the isolation of dengue virus type 2 from a dengue patient returning to Japan from Nepal in October, 2004. This is the first isolate of dengue virus in Nepal. According to nucleotide homology, the virus was closest to a dengue virus type 2 isolate from India.

Molecular epidemiological analyses of Japanese encephalitis virus isolates from swine in Japan from 2002 to 2004.

To characterize Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strains recently prevalent in Japan, JEV surveillance was performed in pigs from 2002 to 2004. Eleven new JEV isolates were obtained and compared with previous isolates from Japan and other Asian countries. All of the isolates were classified into genotype 1 by nucleotide sequence analysis of the E gene. Two new isolates with different levels of neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness, but with only one nucleotide difference in the E gene, Sw/Mie/34/2004 and Sw/Mie/40/2004, were isolated at the same farm on the same day. Sw/Mie/40/2004 displayed higher neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness in mice than the other four new isolates. Another new isolate, Sw/Hiroshima/25/2002, was neutralized by antiserum to Beijing-1 at a level similar to the homologous Beijing-1 strain, whilst seven other new isolates were neutralized at 10-fold-lower titres. However, there were no amino acid differences in the E protein among these eight isolates. The present study indicated that the 11 new JEV isolates were genetically similar, but biologically and serologically heterogeneous.

Phylogenetic analysis of dengue viruses isolated from imported dengue patients: possible aid for determining the countries where infections occurred.

BACKGROUND: Molecular epidemiology of dengue viruses in endemic countries have been reported, but few were reported on the imported dengue cases among travelers. We analyzed dengue viruses isolated from imported dengue cases in Japan who were infected while traveling in endemic regions of the world. METHOD: We sequenced the complete envelope (E) gene of 33 dengue virus strains isolated from patients returning from Asia, Oceania, South Pacific islands, and South America to Japan where no domestic dengue virus infection occurs. We then performed phylogenetic analysis to define the geographic origin of isolated viruses. Moreover, we compared the genomes of isolated dengue viruses with those of the strains already deposited in the GenBank database. RESULT: The isolates are clustered into expected genotypes, confirming that the viruses originated from the visited countries. When patients visited more than one country during a single trip, the countries where the infection occurred were also determined for four of the six patients. There were three isolates, which were different genotypes from those previously isolated in visited countries. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that many dengue virus strains are introduced into Japan and that phylogenic analysis of isolated dengue viruses is a unique technique to determine the countries where infection occurred. Travelers carry viruses and provide important and unique information for clarifying dengue virus trait and its dissemination.

Rapid genome sequencing of RNA viruses.

We developed a system for rapid determination of viral RNA sequences whereby genomic sequence is obtained from cultured virus isolates without subcloning into plasmid vectors. This method affords new opportunities to address the challenges of unknown or untypeable emerging viruses.

Development and evaluation of fluorogenic TaqMan reverse transcriptase PCR assays for detection of dengue virus types 1 to 4.

The fluorogenic TaqMan reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assay was developed for detecting each of the dengue virus (DV) types 1 to 4. DV genome was detected in all the 35 serum samples from confirmed dengue cases by the TaqMan RT-PCR, although it was not detected in 13 and 21% by conventional type-specific and cross-reactive RT-PCR, respectively.

Partial protective effect of inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine on lethal West Nile virus infection in mice.

The effect of mouse brain-derived, inactivated Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine on West Nile virus (WNV) infection was examined using a murine model. Mice were immunized with JE vaccine twice and challenged with lethal doses of WNV. When mice were intracranially challenged with WNV, none of the immunized mice were protected. When mice were intraperitoneally challenged, the immunized mice were protected at higher immunization levels. Cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies to WNV were induced by immunization with JE vaccine; however, the levels were much lower than those to JEV. These results indicate that the currently available mouse brain-derived inactivated JE vaccine can induce partial protective immunity to WNV in mice.

The features of imported dengue fiver cases confirmed at National Institute of Infectious Diseases Japan, during 2001

The demographic features of the dengue cases confirmed during 2001 at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, were determined. Thirty-five cases were confirmed to be of dengue fever, 18 cases were male and 17 female. The youngest case was 19 years old and the oldest was 64 years old. Thirty-four cases were determined to be of primary infection, and one was secondary. Most of the dengue patients developed illness after returning from countries in South-East and South Asia. In addition, two patients had visited Tahiti and one had visited Samoa before developing dengue fever. Dengue fever/dengue haemorrhagic fever is the infectious disease that should attract more attention in Japan.