Gene Of Rabies Virus Research Articles

Establishment of a fluorescent quantitative PCR detection method for rabies virus and preparation of RNA positive controls

Establish the fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR detection method for rabies virus (RV) and construct RNase-resistant virus-like particles as positive controls. Analyze the database in GenBank, the probe and the primers were designed in the conservative region of N gene of rabies virus and the method of real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was obtained; On the basis of MS2 phage, with the technology of gene recombination, prepare the RNase-resistant virus-like particles for RV positive controls; RNase-resistant virus-like particles were obtained after prokaryotic expression in E. coli. The designed primers and probe were confirmed to be very specific and conservative, and be sensitive to-concentration of 15 copies/microl. Established the method of detecting rabies virus by reverse transcription real-time quantitative PCR,obtained the RNase-resistant and no infectivity virus-like particles as positive controls of rabies virus.

Detection of Rabies Virus Genes by In-Situ Polymerase Chain Reaction

Rabies is diagnosed by FAT in the impression smears of brain tissues. In this study, an attempt was made to diagnose rabies using in situ polymerase chain reaction (ISPCR). A digoxigenin-labelled double-stranded probe specific for a portion of the 'N' gene of rabies virus was used. Positive signals were identified as blue dots in the intraneuronal and neuropil areas.

Differential transcription attenuation of rabies virus genes by intergenic regions: generation of recombinant viruses overexpressing the polymerase gene.

Gene expression of nonsegmented negative-sense RNA viruses involves sequential synthesis of monocistronic mRNAs and transcriptional attenuation at gene borders resulting in a transcript gradient. To address the role of the heterogeneous rabies virus (RV) intergenic regions (IGRs) in transcription attenuation, we constructed bicistronic model RNAs in which two reporter genes are separated by the RV N/P gene border. Replacement of the 2-nucleotide (nt) N/P IGR with the 5-nt IGRs from the P/M or M/G border resulted in attenuation of downstream gene transcription to 78 or 81%, respectively. A severe attenuation to 11% was observed for the 24-nt G/L border. This indicated that attenuation in RV is correlated with the length of the IGR, and, in particular, severe downregulation of the L (polymerase) gene by the 24 nt IGR. By reverse genetics, we recovered viable RVs in which the strongly attenuating G/L gene border of wild-type (wt) RV (SAD L16) was replaced with N/P-derived gene borders (SAD T and SAD T2). In these viruses, transcription of L mRNA was enhanced by factors of 1.8 and 5.1, respectively, resulting in exaggerated general gene expression, faster growth, higher virus titers, and induction of cytopathic effects in cell culture. The major role of the IGR in attenuation was further confirmed by reintroduction of the wt 24-nt IGR into SAD T, resulting in a ninefold drop of L mRNA. The ability to modulate RV gene expression by altering transcriptional attenuation is an advantage in the study of virus protein functions and in the development of gene delivery vectors.

The phosphoprotein of rabies virus is phosphorylated by a unique cellular protein kinase and specific isomers of protein kinase C.

The phosphoprotein (P) gene of rabies virus (CVS strain) was cloned and expressed in bacteria. The purified protein was used as the substrate for phosphorylation by the protein kinase(s) present in cell extract prepared from rat brain. Two distinct types of protein kinases, staurosporin sensitive and heparin sensitive, were found to phosphorylate the P protein in vitro by the cell extract. Interestingly, the heparin-sensitive kinase was not the ubiquitous casein kinase II present in a variety of cell types. Further purification of the cell fractions revealed that the protein kinase C (PKC) isomers constitute the staurosporin-sensitive kinases alpha, beta, gamma, and zeta, with the PKCgamma isomer being the most effective in phosphorylating the P protein. A unique heparin-sensitive kinase was characterized as a 71-kDa protein with biochemical properties not demonstrated by any known protein kinases stored in the protein data bank. This protein kinase, designated RVPK (rabies virus protein kinase), phosphorylates P protein (36 kDa) and alters its mobility in gel to migrate at 40 kDa. In contrast, the PKC isoforms do not change the mobility of unphosphorylated P protein. RVPK appears to be packaged in the purified virions, to display biochemical characteristics similar to those of the cell-purified RVPK, and to similarly alter the mobility of endogenous P protein upon phosphorylation. By site-directed mutagenesis, the sites of phosphorylation of RVPK were mapped at S(63) and S(64), whereas PKC isomers phosphorylated at S(162), S(210), and S(271). Involvement of a unique protein kinase in phosphorylating rabies virus P protein indicates its important role in the structure and function of the protein and consequently in the life cycle of the virus.

Ambisense gene expression from recombinant rabies virus: random packaging of positive- and negative-strand ribonucleoprotein complexes into rabies virions.

We have recovered from cDNA a rabies virus (RV) containing identical, transcriptionally active promoters at its genome (negative-strand) and antigenome RNA and directing efficient expression of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene from the antigenome. Transcription of the antigenome CAT gene was terminated by a modified RV gene junction able to mediate transcription stop and polyadenylation but not reinitiation of downstream transcripts. While in standard RV-infected cells genome and antigenome RNAs were present in a 49:1 ratio, the ambisense virus directed synthesis of equal amounts of genome and antigenome RNA (1:1). Total replicative synthesis was reduced by a factor of less than 2, revealing an unexpectedly high level of replication activity of the transcriptionally active promoter in the absence of the parental antigenome promoter. Successful packaging of ambisense ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) into virions demonstrated that the parental 5' end of the RV genome RNA does not contain putative signals required for incorporation into virions. As determined both for standard RV and ambisense RV, virus particles contained genome and antigenome RNPs in the same ratios as those present in infected cells (49:1 and 1:1, respectively), indicating indiscriminate incorporation of RNPs independent of signals in the RNA. Ambisense expression of multiple foreign genes from RV vectors may circumvent problems with transcriptional attenuation of rhabdovirus housekeeping genes.

Expression, characterization, and purification of a phosphorylated rabies nucleoprotein synthesized in insect cells by baculovirus vectors

A baculovirus expression vector (AcNPV3) derived from the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of Autographa californica (AcNPV) was prepared containing the complete coding region of the nucleoprotein (N) gene of rabies virus (Gif-sur-Yvette clone of the CVS strain). The gene was placed under the control of the AcNPV polyhedrin promoter and was expressed to high levels (66 mg N protein/liter of 2 × 10 9 cells) by the derived recombinant virus using a Spodoptera frugiperda cell line. Using available antisera, it was established that the antigenic characteristics of the N protein were similar by comparison with those of the native N protein of rabies virus. Characterization of the expressed protein established that, like the N protein of mammalian cell-grown CVS virus, the N protein was phosphorylated. The expressed rabies N protein induced antibodies in mice that reacted strongly with the rabies viral protein. The expressed nucleoprotein was recovered from the insect cells by differential centrifugation followed by ion exchange chromatography. The expressed rabies N protein represents a source of authentic protein suitable for virus diagnosis as well as structural studies.