Regions of Bovine Adenovirus-3 Protein VII Involved in Interactions with Viral and Cellular Proteins.

The L 1 region of bovine adenovirus (BAdV)-3 encodes a multifunctional protein named protein VII. Anti-protein VII sera detected a protein of 26 kDa in transfected or BAdV-3-infected cells, which localizes to nucleus and nucleolus of infected/transfected cells. Analysis of mutant protein VII identified four redundant overlapping nuclear/nucleolar localization signals as deletion of all four potential nuclear/nucleolar localization signals localizes protein VII predominantly to the cytoplasm. The nuclear import of protein VII appears to use importin α (α-1), importin-ß (ß-1) and transportin-3 nuclear transport receptors. In addition, different nuclear transport receptors also require part of protein VII outside nuclear localization sequences for efficient interaction. Proteomic analysis of protein complexes purified from recombinant BAdV-3 expressing protein VII containing Strep Tag II identified potential viral and cellular proteins interacting with protein VII. Here, we confirm that protein VII interacts with IVa2 and protein VIII in BAdV-3-infected cells. Moreover, amino acids 91-101 and 126-137, parts of non-conserved region of protein VII, are required for interaction with IVa2 and protein VIII, respectively.

A potential bat adenovirus-based oncolytic virus targeting canine cancers.

Although a canine adenovirus (CAdV)-based oncolytic virus (OV) candidate targeting canine tumors has been reported, its oncolytic effect could be attenuated by CAdV vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies in dog patients. To circumvent this issue, we focused on the bat adenovirus (BtAdV) strain, which was previously isolated from healthy microbats. We previously showed that this virus replicated efficiently in canine cell lines and did not serologically cross-react with CAdVs, suggesting that it may offer the possibility of an OV candidate for canine tumors. Here, we tested the growth properties and cytotoxicity of the BtAdV Mm32 strain in a panel of canine tumor cells and found that its characteristics were equivalent to those of CAdVs. To produce an Mm32 construct with enhanced tumor specificity, we established a novel reverse genetics system for BtAdV based on bacterial artificial chromosomes, and generated a recombinant virus, Mm32-E1Ap + cTERTp, by inserting a tumor-specific canine telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter into its E1A regulatory region. The growth and cytotoxicity of this recombinant were superior to those of wild-type Mm32 in canine tumor cells, unlike in normal canine cells. These data suggest that Mm32-E1Ap + cTERTp could be a promising OV for alternative canine cancer therapies.

Regions of bovine adenovirus-3 IVa2 involved in nuclear/nucleolar localization and interaction with pV.

Bovine adenovirus-3 (BAdV-3) is a non enveloped, icosahedral DNA virus containing a genome of 34446 bps. The intermediate region of BAdV-3 encodes pIX and IVa2 proteins. Here, we report the characterization of BAdV-3 IVa2. Anti-IVa2 serum detected a 50 kDa protein at 24-48 h post infection in BAdV-3 infected cells. The IVa2 localizes to nucleus and nucleolus of BAdV-3 infected cells. Analysis of mutant IVa2 demonstrated that amino acids 1-25 and 373-448 are required for nuclear and nucleolar localization of IVa2, respectively. The nuclear import of IVa2 utilize importin α -1 of importin nuclear import pathway. Although deletion/substitution of amino acids 4-18 is sufficient to abrogate the nuclear localization of IVa2, amino acids 1-25 are required for nuclear localization of a cytoplasmic protein. Furthermore, we demonstrate that amino acids 1-25 and 120-140 of IVa2 interact with importin α-1 and pV proteins, respectively in BAdV-3 infected cells.

Mouse adenovirus type 1 infection of adipose tissue.

Human adenovirus (HAdV) type 36 seropositivity has been linked to obesity in humans. That link is supported by a small number of studies using HAdV-36 infection of animals that are not natural hosts for HAdVs. In this study, we infected mice with mouse adenovirus type 1 (MAV-1), a mouse pathogen, to determine whether MAV-1 infected adipose tissue and was associated with adipose tissue inflammation and obesity. We detected MAV-1 in adipose tissue during acute MAV-1 infection, but we did not detect virus-induced increases in adipose tissue cytokine expression or histological evidence of adipose tissue inflammation during acute infection. MAV-1 did not persist in adipose tissue at later times, and we did not detect long-term adipose inflammation, increased adipose tissue mass, or body weight in infected mice. Our data indicate that MAV-1 is not associated with obesity in infected mice.

Proteolytic Cleavage of Bovine Adenovirus 3-Encoded pVIII.

Proteolytic maturation involving cleavage of one nonstructural and six structural precursor proteins including pVIII by adenovirus protease is an important aspect of the adenovirus life cycle. The pVIII encoded by bovine adenovirus 3 (BAdV-3) is a protein of 216 amino acids and contains two potential protease cleavage sites. Here, we report that BAdV-3 pVIII is cleaved by adenovirus protease at both potential consensus protease cleavage sites. Usage of at least one cleavage site appears essential for the production of progeny BAdV-3 virions as glycine-to-alanine mutation of both protease cleavage sites appears lethal for the production of progeny virions. However, mutation of a single protease cleavage site of BAdV-3 pVIII significantly affects the efficient production of infectious progeny virions. Further analysis revealed no significant defect in endosome escape, genome replication, capsid formation, and virus assembly. Interestingly, cleavage of pVIII at both potential cleavage sites appears essential for the production of stable BAdV-3 virions as BAdV-3 expressing pVIII containing a glycine-to-alanine mutation of either of the potential cleavage sites is thermolabile, and this mutation leads to the production of noninfectious virions.IMPORTANCE Here, we demonstrated that the BAdV-3 adenovirus protease cleaves BAdV-3 pVIII at both potential protease cleavage sites. Although cleavage of pVIII at one of the two adenoviral protease cleavage sites is required for the production of progeny virions, the mutation of a single cleavage site of pVIII affects the efficient production of infectious progeny virions. Further analysis indicated that the mutation of a single protease cleavage site (glycine to alanine) of pVIII produces thermolabile virions, which leads to the production of noninfectious virions with disrupted capsids. We thus provide evidence about the requirement of proteolytic cleavage of pVIII for production of infectious progeny virions. We feel that our study has significantly advanced the understanding of the requirement of adenovirus protease cleavage of pVIII.

A novel cardiotropic murine adenovirus representing a distinct species of mastadenoviruses.

During cell culture isolation experiments to recover Dobrava hantavirus from a suspension of liver from a striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), an unknown virus was coisolated. Atypically for hantaviruses, it had extensive cytopathic effects. Using a random PCR approach, it was identified as a novel murine adenovirus, MAdV-3 (for MAdV type 3). A plaque-purified virus clone was prepared and further characterized. The complete genome sequence of MAdV-3 was determined to be 30,570 bp in length. Sequence comparisons to other adenovirus species revealed highest similarity to MAdV-1, the representative of the murine adenovirus A species. However, substantial differences were found in the E1, E3, and E4 genomic regions. The phylogenetic distance of MAdV-3 amino acid sequences for pVIII, protease, polymerase, and hexon from MAdV-1 is markedly higher than 0.1 exchange per position, and, based on our cross-neutralization experiments, MAdV-3 and MAdV-1 can be regarded as different serotypes. Therefore, we propose to classify MAdV-3 as the first isolate of a novel adenovirus species, designated murine adenovirus C (MAdV-C). The novel MAdV-3 virus is not only genetically and serologically distinct from MAdV-1 but also shows a unique organ tropism in infected mice. In contrast to MAdV-1, the virus was not detectable in brain but predominantly infected heart tissue. Thus, infection of mice with cardiotropic MAdV-3 might be an interesting animal model of adenovirus-induced myocarditis.

Interaction of bovine adenovirus-3 33K protein with other viral proteins.

The adenovirus 33K protein appears to be a multifunctional protein performing different roles in viral infection. The involvement of 33K protein in different steps of adenovirus replication may require protein-protein interaction. Using 33K protein as a bait in the yeast two-hybrid system, we screened open reading frames (ORFs) of bovine adenovirus (BAdV)-3 for potential interactions with 33K protein. Interestingly, 33K protein showed specific interaction with 100K and pV proteins. The yeast two-hybrid findings were validated by in vitro binding using in vitro synthesized transcription-translation products, GST pull down assay and in vitro co-immunoprecipitation assay using protein-specific antibodies. We demonstrated, that the interaction of 33K protein with 100K and pV proteins takes place during BAdV-3 infection. Finally, our data suggests that the stretch of amino acids 81-120 and 161-200 in 33K protein are critical for the interaction with pV and 100K proteins, respectively.

Characterization and nuclear localization of the fiber protein encoded by the late region 7 of bovine adenovirus type 3.

To identify the protein encoded by the L7 region of bovine adenovirus-3 (BAdV-3), specific antisera were raised by immunizing rabbits with bacterial fusion proteins encoding the N-terminus or C-terminus of the BAdV-3 fiber protein. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis confirmed that the fiber is expressed as a 102 kDa glycoprotein, which is localized to the nucleus of infected cells. To identify the nuclear localization signals (NLS), BAdV-3 fiber deletion mutants and GFP/beta-galactosidase fusion proteins were expressed in transfected cells, and subcellular localization was visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. Analysis of deletion mutants localized the NLS to the N-terminal 41 amino acids. Analysis of the N-terminal 41 amino acids identified a cluster of basic residues between amino acid 14 and 20. Substitution of the basic residues (16KAKR19) with acidic residues (16EAEE19) resulted in the accumulation of fiber in the cytoplasm. However, 16KAKR19 or 12VYPYKAKRPNI22 were not sufficient for efficient transport of a cytoplasmic protein GFP/beta-galactosidase to the nucleus. The recombinant BAdV-3 expressing mutant fiber containing 16EAEE19 instead of 16KAKR19 was unable to replicate efficiently in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells, suggesting that the NLS of fiber carries out important in vivo functions.

Role of bovine adenovirus-3 33K protein in viral replication.

The L6 region of bovine adenovirus type (BAdV)-3 encodes a nonstructural protein named 33K. To identify and characterize the 33K protein, rabbit polyclonal antiserum was raised against a 33K-GST fusion protein expressed in bacteria. Anti-33K serum immunoprecipitated a protein of 42 kDa in in vitro translated and transcribed mRNA of 33K. However, three proteins of 42, 38, and 33 kDa were detected in BAdV-3 infected cells. To determine the role of this protein in virus replication, a recombinant BAV-33S1 containing insertional inactivation of 33K (a stop codon created at the seventh amino acid of 33K ORF) was constructed. Although BAV-33S1 could be isolated, the mutant showed a severe defect in the production of progeny virus. Inactivation of the 33K gene showed no effect on early and late viral gene expression in cells infected with BAV-33S1. However, formation of mature virions was significantly reduced in cells infected with BAV-33S1. Surprisingly, insertional inactivation of 33K at amino acid 97 (pFBAV-33.KS2) proved lethal for virus production. Although expression of early or late genes was not affected, no capsid formation could be observed in mutant DNA-transfected cells. These results suggest that 33K is required for capsid assembly and efficient DNA capsid interaction.

Evaluation of virucidal activity of three commercial disinfectants and formic acid using bovine enterovirus type 1 (ECBO virus), mammalian orthoreovirus type 1 and bovine adenovirus type 1.

A modified version of the test method of the Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) was developed using formic acid and three commercial disinfectants to evaluate virucidal activity against three non-enveloped viruses, bovine enterovirus type 1 (ECBO virus), mammalian orthoreovirus type 1 and bovine adenovirus type 1 (BAV 1). Determination of the effects of temperature was carried out at 20 and 10 degrees C. All tests with protein load used bovine serum albumin (BSA) and yeast extract. The investigations were performed in suspension tests and in carrier tests using poplar wood virus carriers. The carrier tests showed that ECBO virus could be inactivated at 20 degrees C with 1% formic acid within a 60 min reaction time. For disinfection of ECBO virus at 10 degrees C within 60 min, a 2% concentration of formic acid was necessary. Formic acid was ineffective against reovirus and bovine adenovirus and cannot be recommended as a reference disinfectant. Inactivation of ECBO virus and adenovirus type 1 using a disinfectant containing aldehydes and alcohols could be achieved, but only at room temperature. The disinfection of reovirus type 1 at room temperature with this product was possible without a protein load. This disinfectant exhibited disinfection ability at 10 degrees C at a concentration of more than 2% or with a longer exposure time. A disinfectant containing aldehydes was effective at room temperature but its effect was reduced in the presence of organic matter. Inactivation at 10 degrees C was found only against adenovirus. The fourth disinfectant, which contained peroxiacetic acid, inactivated all test viruses at a concentration of 0.5% within 15 min independent of temperature and protein load.

Characterization of bovine adenovirus type 3 E1 proteins and isolation of E1-expressing cell lines.

Like human adenovirus type 5 (HAV5), bovine adenovirus type 3 (BAV3) early region 1 (E1) consists of E1A and E1B transcriptional units. In order to characterize BAV3 E1 proteins and to isolate a cell line of bovine origin that expresses BAV3 E1, polyclonal antibodies specific to E1A, E1B-157R, and E1B-420R were raised in rabbits. BAV3 E1A, E1B-157R, and E1B-420R were identified as 40, 17, and 47 kDa proteins, and had a half-life of 45-60 min, and 4-6 and 4-6 h, respectively. It appeared that E1A and E1B-157R were phosphorylated at the serine/threonine residues, whereas, E1B 420R was phosphorylated at both the serine/threonine and tyrosine residues. Three cell lines, MDBK-221 (Madin Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) transfected with BAV3 E1), FBK-34 (primary fetal bovine kidney (FBK) cells transfected BAV3 E1), and FBRT-HE1 (bovine fetal retinal (FBRT) cells transfected with HAV5 E1) were isolated and characterized for E1 expression. FBK-34 or FBRT-HE1 supported the replication of an E1A-deleted BAV3 (BAV3DeltaE1AE3) to approximately 1-2 x 10(8) PFU/ml, whereas, the virus titers in MDBK-221 were approximately 10(7) PFU/ml. These cell lines will be useful in generating and growing BAV3 E1-deleted recombinants, and also for studying E1 protein interactions with a number of cellular and/or viral proteins.

Characterization of a cDNA encoding the bovine coxsackie and adenovirus receptor.

Non-human adenoviruses such as bovine adenovirus type 3 (BAV-3) that do not replicate in human cells but can infect human cells in culture could provide an attractive alternative to human adenoviral vectors for gene therapy. In addition, a large-animal model for genetic diseases can be very useful for the assessment of the efficacy of adenovector-mediated gene delivery in man. Recombinant human subgroup C adenovectors use the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) to enter their target cells. Through RT-PCR and sequencing we determined the complete coding sequence of bovine CAR which serves as the primary adenoviral attachment site on bovine cells. A multiple sequence alignment, involving all the previously identified CAR species (man, mouse, rat, pig, and dog) showed that bovine CAR was most related to porcine CAR (92% nucleotide similarity) and demonstrated a highly conserved adenovirus binding Ig1 domain.

Adenoviral vector-mediated rescue of the OMP-null phenotype in vivo.

The use of gene deletion by homologous recombination to determine gene or protein function has wide application in vertebrate neurobiology. An ideal complement to gene deletion would be subsequent gene replacement to demonstrate re-acquisition of function. Here we used an adenoviral vector to replace the olfactory marker protein (OMP) gene in olfactory receptor neurons of adult OMP-null mice and demonstrated the subsequent re-acquisition of function. Our results show that short-term expression of OMP restores the kinetics of electrophysiological responses of OMP-null mice to those of the control phenotype. This adenoviral-mediated rescue of the OMP-null phenotype is consistent with involvement of OMP in olfactory transduction.

The role of the L4 33K gene in adenovirus infection.

The late phase of adenovirus infection is characterized not only by the synthesis of late proteins and the assembly of new virions, but also by the inhibition of early gene expression and host cell translation. Previous work has demonstrated that both of these inhibitory effects depend upon expression from the major late transcription unit (MLTU), controlled by the major late promoter (MLP). Furthermore, the repression of early gene expression has been shown to be mediated in trans, suggesting a role for one or more MLTU-encoded soluble factor(s). A possible candidate for such a factor is the L4-encoded 33K gene product, a protein conserved throughout the Mastadenoviridae, but of no known function. To test the role of this protein in viral infection, a stop codon was placed at the 20th position of the 33K ORF. Viable virus with genomes containing the mutation were recovered in an overlap recombination assay. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the mutant virus had a significant deficiency in both kinetics of replication and final yield, as compared to the wild-type virus. Detailed analysis of infected cells showed that there was no detectable change in the regulation of expression of several early genes and the pIX gene. This suggests either that 33K is not involved in this late phase phenomenon or that this function is replaceable by another late protein(s). Late protein synthesis and accumulation were similar to those in wild-type-infected cells. However, the reduced yield of infectious mutant virus could be accounted for by a marked deficiency in the accumulation of intermediate particles and completed capsids, suggesting a role for 33K in the process of assembly. In addition there was a small but reproducible deficiency in the shutoff of host cell translation. These results show that the 33K protein plays an important, although apparently not essential, function in the late phase of virus infection.

Transcription map and expression of bovine herpesvirus-1 glycoprotein D in early region 4 of bovine adenovirus-3.

Early region 4 (E4) of bovine adenovirus type 3 (BAV-3) was analyzed by Northern blotting, RT-PCR analysis, cDNA sequencing, and S1 nuclease protection assays. The transcriptional map of the E4 region of BAV-3 has marked dissimilarities from those of mouse adenovirus-1, ovine adenovirus-287, and human adenovirus-2, for which the transcriptional maps have been constructed. The E4 region of BAV-3, located between 98.6 and 89.8 MU transcribes seven distinct classes of bovine adenovirus type 3 mRNA. The seven mRNA species formed by the removal of one to three introns share both the 3' end and a short 5' leader (25 nucleotides). The E4 mRNAs can encode at least five unique polypeptides, namely, 143R1, 69R, 143R2, 268R, and 219R. Isolation of a replication-competent recombinant "BAV404" containing 1.9-kb insertion [glycoprotein (gD) of bovine herpesvirus 1, under the control of a SV40 early promoter and poly(A)] in the region between E4 and the right ITR suggested that this region is nonessential for BAV-3 replication. Expression of gD by BAV404 recombinant virus was confirmed by immunoprecipitation with gD-specific monoclonal antibodies. Analysis of the kinetics of protein expression indicated that gD is expressed at both early and late times postinfection. These results suggest that: (a) E4 produces seven 5'-3' coterminal mRNAs and (b) the right terminal region of BAV-3 can be used for the expression of vaccine antigens.

Interaction of mouse adenovirus type 1 early region 1A protein with cellular proteins pRb and p107.

We demonstrated functional associations between mouse adenovirus type 1 (MAV-1) early region 1A (E1A) protein and both the mouse retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and the mouse pRb-related protein, p107. Interactions between MAV-1 E1A and mouse pRb or mouse p107 proteins were examined in infected cell lysates using a mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line infected with wild-type and mutant MAV-1 viruses. Using a polyclonal antibody to MAV-1 E1A, exogenously added mouse pRb or mouse p107 was coimmunoprecipitated from wild-type, dIE105 (CR1 delta)-, and dIE106 (CR3 delta)-infected cell lysates. No coimmunoprecipitation was seen with cell lysates from dIE102 (CR2 delta) or pmE109, a mutant virus that produces no detectable E1A protein due to an ATG to TTG point mutation in the initiator methionine. Introduction of mouse pRb into SAOS-2 cells resulted in a flat and enlarged cell phenotype, whereas cotransfection of mouse pRb and MAV-1 E1A resulted in a significant reduction of flat cells, presumably due to E1A binding pRb. CR1 delta and CR2 delta E1A proteins were less effective at reducing the number of flat, enlarged cells induced by pRb expression than were the CR3 delta or wild-type E1A proteins. The reduced ability of these mutants to inactivate pRb relative to wild-type E1A correlated with their reduced ability to bind pRb in the in vitro coimmunoprecipitation experiments. As a measure of p107/MAV-1 E1A complex formation in MAV-1-infected cells, we used mobility shift assays to examine cell extracts for the presence of p107-containing E2F protein-DNA complexes. Mock-, dIE102-, and pmE109-infected cell extracts formed a p107-containing complex, whereas wild-type-infected cell extracts did not. Thus the formation of a p107-E2F complex in wild-type- or these mutant-infected extracts inversely correlated with the presence of E1A-p107 complexes identified in the vitro coimmunoprecipitation experiments. This is consistent with E1A-p107 complexes forming in wild-type MAV-1-infected cells.

Unique genome arrangement of an ovine adenovirus: identification of new proteins and proteinase cleavage sites.

The completed sequence and genome organization of OAV287, a serologically distinct ovine adenovirus, is described. The genome of 29,544 bp has inverted terminal repeats that are only 46 bp in length. Many OAV genes are identified by their homology with other adenovirus (Ad) sequences but three groups of reading frames show little homology. One group at the left-hand end of the genome probably represents the E1A/E1B regions. Two others, on the complementary strand at the right-hand end of the genome, are tentatively proposed as the E4 and E3 regions. They are separated by approximately 1 kb of A/T-rich sequence of unknown function with E3 being adjacent to the terminus. Structural proteins V and IX of human Ads are absent from the OAV genome but a new, processed, 28-kDa virion polypeptide is encoded on the strand complementary to the proposed E1A region. The coding sequences for two other structural proteins are unidentified. The OAV penton protein lacks the region containing an Arg/Gly/Asp sequence that, in human adenoviruses, is thought to interact with cellular integrins to facilitate virus entry. Analysis of proteins and peptides in purified OAV identified several cleavage sites utilized by the Ad proteinase. Some of these were previously identified in human Ad proteins, but new sites, some of which did not conform to the known specificity of the human Ad proteinase, were also identified. The data emphasize that this ovine virus differs significantly from other known human and animal adenoviruses.