Member Of Picornaviridae Research Articles

The Stem-Loop I of Senecavirus A IRES Is Essential for Cap-Independent Translation Activity and Virus Recovery.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is a picornavirus that causes vesicular disease in swine and the only member of the Senecavirus genus. Like in all members of Picornaviridae, the 5′ untranslated region (5’UTR) of SVA contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that initiates cap-independent translation. For example, the replacement of the IRES of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) with its relative bovine rhinitis B virus (BRBV) affects the viral translation efficiency and virulence. Structurally, the IRES from SVA resembles that of hepatitis C virus (HCV), a flavivirus. Given the roles of the IRES in cap-independent translation for picornaviruses, we sought to functionally characterize the IRES of this genus by studying chimeric viruses generated by exchanging the native SVA IRES with that of HCV either entirely or individual domains. First, the results showed that a chimeric SVA virus harboring the IRES from HCV, H-SVA, is viable and replicated normally in rodent-derived BHK-21 cells but displays replication defects in porcine-derived ST cells. In the generation of chimeric viruses in which domain-specific elements from SVA were replaced with those of HCV, we identified an essential role for the stem-loop I element for IRES activity and recombinant virus recovery. Furthermore, a series of stem-loop I mutants allowed us to functionally characterize discrete IRES regions and correlate impaired IRES activities, using reporter systems with our inability to recover recombinant viruses in two different cell types. Interestingly, mutant viruses harboring partially defective IRES were viable. However, no discernable replication differences were observed, relative to the wild-type virus, suggesting the cooperation of additional factors, such as intermolecular viral RNA interactions, act in concert in regulating IRES-dependent translation during infection. Altogether, we found that the stem-loop I of SVA is an essential element for IRES-dependent translation activity and viral replication.

Unveiling Viruses Associated with Gastroenteritis Using a Metagenomics Approach.

Acute infectious gastroenteritis is an important illness worldwide, especially on children, with viruses accounting for approximately 70% of the acute cases. A high number of these cases have an unknown etiological agent and the rise of next generation sequencing technologies has opened new opportunities for viral pathogen detection and discovery. Viral metagenomics in routine clinical settings has the potential to identify unexpected or novel variants of viral pathogens that cause gastroenteritis. In this study, 124 samples from acute gastroenteritis patients from 2012–2014 previously tested negative for common gastroenteritis pathogens were pooled by age and analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) to elucidate unidentified viral infections. The most abundant sequences detected potentially associated to acute gastroenteritis were from Astroviridae and Caliciviridae families, with the detection of norovirus GIV and sapoviruses. Lower number of contigs associated to rotaviruses were detected. As expected, other viruses that may be associated to gastroenteritis but also produce persistent infections in the gut were identified including several Picornaviridae members (EV, parechoviruses, cardioviruses) and adenoviruses. According to the sequencing data, astroviruses, sapoviruses and NoV GIV should be added to the list of viral pathogens screened in routine clinical analysis.

Dissemination of Internal Ribosomal Entry Sites (IRES) Between Viruses by Horizontal Gene Transfer.

Members of Picornaviridae and of the Hepacivirus, Pegivirus and Pestivirus genera of Flaviviridae all contain an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) in the 5′-untranslated region (5′UTR) of their genomes. Each class of IRES has a conserved structure and promotes 5′-end-independent initiation of translation by a different mechanism. Picornavirus 5′UTRs, including the IRES, evolve independently of other parts of the genome and can move between genomes, most commonly by intratypic recombination. We review accumulating evidence that IRESs are genetic entities that can also move between members of different genera and even between families. Type IV IRESs, first identified in the Hepacivirus genus, have subsequently been identified in over 25 genera of Picornaviridae, juxtaposed against diverse coding sequences. In several genera, members have either type IV IRES or an IRES of type I, II or III. Similarly, in the genus Pegivirus, members contain either a type IV IRES or an unrelated type; both classes of IRES also occur in members of the genus Hepacivirus. IRESs utilize different mechanisms, have different factor requirements and contain determinants of viral growth, pathogenesis and cell type specificity. Their dissemination between viruses by horizontal gene transfer has unexpectedly emerged as an important facet of viral evolution.

A24 Phylogeographic analysis of hepatitis A virus in Russia

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus, a member of Picornaviridae, and a representative of genus Hepatovirus. It is unique among picornaviruses with regards to its hepatotropism, structure, and life cycle. HAV is spread via the fecal-oral route as a non-enveloped particle, while, in the blood the virus circulates in an envelope formed from the host cell membrane. HAV causes acute hepatitis in adults and is usually asymptomatic in children <6 years of age. The clinical features include fever, malaise, anorexia, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, and jaundice, all of which usually last >2 months. There is no evidence of chronic liver disease or persistent infection following acute infection. Due to its mode of transmission, HAV prevails in areas with low hygiene standards but does not give rise to epidemics because most people are infected at an early age and derive a life-long immunity. Thus, HAV infection has more impact on countries with higher socio-economical level where it is mostly registered as an outbreak in adults, which is the case in Russia. One feature distinguishing HAV from other picornaviruses is its remarkably slow mutation rate. HAV genotyping is typically carried out using highly variable regions VP1/2A and 2C/3A. Recently, it was shown that resolution provided by short fragments is not enough for reliable results. Unfortunately, previous research in HAV phylogeography was carried out only on these short sequences and did not include Russia or CIS territories. HAV comprises six genotypes, of which I and III are most frequent in humans and are both divided into A and B subgenotypes. Preliminary phylodynamic analysis of 80 highly variable region sequences (carried out by A. Neverov) has shown a particular pattern of geographical distribution of HAV genotypes in Russia. There are only two subgenotypes widely spread: IA predominates in the European part of Russia, and IIIA is found mainly in the Asian part. However, the history of HAV spread in Russia remains unclear. We hypothesized that IIIA subgenotype originated from India, while IA subgenotype came later from Europe and is still expanding. The Central Research Institute of Epidemiology kindly provided us with the unique collection of HAV isolates obtained from more than 30 subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as a number of isolates obtained from CIS countries. Samples (>500 isolates) were collected from 1999 to 2015 and characterized by one or both of the two most variable fragments of HAV genome (VP1/2A and 2C regions). The dataset includes 145 unique sequences of 2C/3A region, length ∼650 bp, and 243 sequences of VP1/2A region, length ∼400 bp. For each sample, date and location of collection are indicated. Whole-genome sequences of HAV from GenBank database were also used. They were aligned with MUSCLE, and the target 2C/3A and VP1/2A fragments were extracted. Partial HAV sequences from GenBank were not added to the analysis due to too little overlap with our sequences. Initial phylogeographic analysis was carried out in BEAST. Results were checked with the Tracer program, and the Spread3 package was used to visualize the results of the phylogeographic analysis in continuous space [16]. The BEAST output supports the hypothesis that IIIA subgenotype originated from India, whereas the situation with the IA subgenotype remains unclear. The reason for this might be either poor sampling of the Mediterranean area and Middle East in our analysis or low precision provided with variable fragments. The next step is to obtain full-genome sequences of approximately 100 of our samples to increase resolution and make use of hundreds of partial sequences of HAV genomes available in GenBank.

Abstract # 1862 Indoleamine-2,3-dioxgenase 1 (Ido1) protects against viral encephalitis

Viral encephalitis (VE) is a life-threatening condition that can be triggered by infection with a multitude of different viruses including members of Picornaviridae. There are few treatment options for VE and the mechanisms that influence prognosis are poorly defined. Inhibition of Ido1 aids in viral clearance during experimental West Nile Virus encephalitis. To determine the role of Ido1 during picornavirus-induced encephalitis we inoculated wild-type (WT) and Ido1-/- mice with either vehicle or Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus. Anxiety-like behavior was measured using an elevated zero maze at day 6 post-infection (p.i.). Burrowing activity was measured at days 4 and 6 p.i. Hippocampal gene expression was determined by RT-qPCR. Infected Ido1-/- mice showed a tendency toward a higher incidence of seizures (50% vs. 69.6%; p = 0.06). The occurrence of seizures was associated with greater time spent in the open areas of the maze, suggesting reduced anxiety. Infected Ido1-/- mice entered the light zone more often than WT mice. However, infection reduced burrowing activity and infected Ido1-/- mice burrowed less than WT mice. Infection increased Ido1, Ifng and viral RNA expression. The elevation in Ifng and viral RNA expression was greater in Ido1-/- compared to WT mice at day 8 p.i. These data indicate that Ido1 impedes viral replication, decreases neuroinflammation, and modulates encephalitis-induced behavioral alterations. Thus, the absence of Ido1 during picornavirus-induced encephalitis may be detrimental.

Host MicroRNA miR-197 Plays a Negative Regulatory Role in the Enterovirus 71 Infectious Cycle by Targeting the RAN Protein.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a member of Picornaviridae, is associated with severe central nervous system complications. In this study, we identified a cellular microRNA (miRNA), miR-197, whose expression was downregulated by viral infection in a time-dependent manner. In miR-197 mimic-transfected cells, EV71 replication was inhibited, whereas the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) activity was decreased in EV71 strains with or without predicted miR-197 target sites, indicating that miR-197 targets host proteins to modulate viral replication. We thus used a quantitative proteomics approach, aided by the TargetScan algorithm, to identify putative target genes of miR-197. Among them, RAN was selected and validated as a genuine target in a 3' untranslated region (UTR) reporter assay. Reduced production of RAN by RNA interference markedly reduced the synthesis of EV71-encoded viral proteins and virus titers. Furthermore, reintroduction of nondegradable RAN into these knockdown cells rescued viral protein synthesis. miR-197 levels were modulated by EV71 to maintain RAN mRNA translatability at late times postinfection since we demonstrated that cap-independent translation exerted by its intrinsic IRES activity was occurring at times when translation attenuation was induced by EV71. EV71-induced downregulation of miR-197 expression increased the expression of RAN, which supported the nuclear transport of the essential viral proteins 3D/3CD and host protein hnRNP K for viral replication. Our data suggest that downregulation of cellular miRNAs may constitute a newly identified mechanism that sustains the expression of host proteins to facilitate viral replication. Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a picornavirus with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA that globally inhibits the cellular translational system, mainly by cleaving cellular eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) and poly(A)-binding protein (PABP), which inhibits the association of the ribosome with the host capped mRNA. We used a microRNA (miRNA) microarray chip to identify the host miRNA 197 (miR-197) that was downregulated by EV71. We also used quantitative mass spectrometry and a target site prediction tool to identify the miR-197 target genes. During viral infection, the expression of the target protein RAN was upregulated considerably, and there was a parallel downregulation of miR-197. The nuclear transport of viral 3D/3CD protein and of the host proteins involved in viral replication proceeded in an RAN-dependent manner. We have identified a new mechanism in picornavirus through which EV71-induced cellular miRNA downregulation can regulate host protein levels to facilitate viral replication.

Analysis of EV71 infection progression using triple-SILAC-based proteomics approach.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a member of Picornaviridae, causes severe neurological and systemic illness in children. To better understand the virus-host cell interactions, we performed a triple-SILAC-based quantitative proteomics study monitoring host cell proteome changes after EV71 infection. Based on the quantitative data for more than 4100 proteins, ∼17% of the proteins were found as significantly changed (p<0.01) at either 8 or 20 hours post infection. Five biological processes and seven protein classes showed significant differences. Functional screening of nine regulated proteins discovered the regulatory role of CHCH2, a mitochondrial protein known as a transcriptional activator for cytochrome c oxidase, in EV71 replication. Further studies showed that CHCH2 served as a negative regulator of innate immune responses. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002483 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD002483).

Widespread distribution and structural diversity of Type IV IRESs in members of Picornaviridae

Picornavirus genomes contain internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) that promote end-independent translation initiation. Five structural classes of picornavirus IRES have been identified, but numerous IRESs remain unclassified. Here, previously unrecognized Type IV IRESs were identified in members of three proposed picornavirus genera (Limnipivirus, Pasivirus, Rafivirus) and four recognized genera (Kobuvirus, Megrivirus, Sapelovirus, Parechovirus). These IRESs are ~230–420 nucleotides long, reflecting heterogeneity outside a common structural core. Closer analysis yielded insights into evolutionary processes that have shaped contemporary IRESs. The presence of related IRESs in diverse genera supports the hypothesis that they are heritable genetic elements that spread by horizontal gene transfer. Recombination likely also accounts for the exchange of some peripheral subdomains, suggesting that IRES evolution involves incremental addition of elements to a pre-existing core. Nucleotide conservation is concentrated in ribosome-binding sites, and at the junction of helical domains, likely to ensure orientation of subdomains in an active conformation.

Protease 2A induces stress granule formation during coxsackievirus B3 and enterovirus 71 infections.

BackgroundStress granules (SGs) are granular aggregates in the cytoplasm that are formed under a variety of stress situations including viral infection. Previous studies indicate that poliovirus, a member of Picornaviridae, can induce SG formation. However, the exact mechanism by which the picornaviruses induce SG formation is unknown.MethodThe localization of SG markers in cells infected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or enterovirus 71 (EV71) and in cells expressing each viral protein was determined via immunofluorescence assays or plasmid transfection. Eight plasmids expressing mutants of the 2A protease (2Apro) of CVB3 were generated using a site-directed mutagenesis strategy. The cleavage efficiencies of eIF4G by CVB3 2Apro and its mutants were determined via western blotting assays.ResultsIn this study, we found that CVB3 infection induced SG formation, as evidenced by the co-localization of some accepted SG markers in viral infection-induced granules. Furthermore, we identified that 2Apro of CVB3 was the key viral component that triggered SG formation. A 2Apro mutant with the G122E mutation, which exhibited very low cleavage efficiency toward eIF4G, significantly attenuated its capacity for SG induction, indicating that the protease activity was required for 2Apro to initiate SG formation. Finally, we observed that SGs also formed in EV71-infected cells. Expression of EV71 2Apro alone was also sufficient to cause SG formation.ConclusionBoth CVB3 and EV71 infections can induce SG formation, and 2Apro plays a crucial role in the induction of SG formation during these infections. This finding may help us to better understand how picornaviruses initiate the SG response.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-014-0192-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cell and tissue tropism of enterovirus 71 and other enteroviruses infections

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a member of Picornaviridae that causes mild and self-limiting hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). However, EV71 infections can progress to polio-like paralysis, neurogenic pulmonary edema, and fatal encephalitis in infants and young children. Large EV71 outbreaks have been reported in Taiwan, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. This virus is considered a critical emerging public health threat. EV71 is an important crucial neurotropic enterovirus for which there is currently no effective antiviral drug or vaccine. The mechanism by which EV71 causes severe central nervous system complications remains unclear. The interaction between the virus and the host is vital for viral replication, virulence, and pathogenicity. SCARB2 or PSGL-1 receptor binding is the first step in the development of viral infections, and viral factors (e.g., 5′ UTR, VP1, 3C, 3D, 3′ UTR), host factors and environments (e.g., ITAFs, type I IFN) are also involved in viral infections. The tissue tropism and pathogenesis of viruses are determined by a combination of several factors. This review article provides a summary of host and virus factors affecting cell and tissue tropism and the pathogenesis of enteroviruses.

A 3Cpro-dependent bioluminescence imaging assay for in vivo evaluation of anti-enterovirus 71 agents

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a member of Picornaviridae, is one of the major pathogens of human hand, foot and mouth disease. EV71 mainly infects children and causes severe neurological complications and even death. The pathogenesis of EV71 infection is largely unknown, and no clinically approved vaccine or effective treatment is available to date. Here we described a novel bioluminescence imaging approach for EV71 detection. In this approach, a plasmid-based reporter was constructed to express the fusion protein AmN(Q/G)BC, a split firefly luciferase mutant, which can be specifically cleaved by EV71 protease 3Cpro. Upon cleavage, the splitting fusion protein restores luciferase activity. Our test confirmed that AmN(Q/G)BC was specifically cleaved by 3Cpro and EV71 and restored the luciferase activity to a degree that corresponds to the 3Cpro and virus doses in cells and mice. The anti-EV71 effect of GW5074 and U0126, two mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors, was evaluated using this approach to validate its application of screening anti-EV71 agents. We found that the AmN(Q/G)BC reporter efficiently monitored the inhibitory effect of GW5074 and U0126 on EV71 infection under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The data from AmN(Q/G)BC reporter were consistent with Western blotting and histopathology examination. Taken together, this real-time imaging approach can quantitatively monitor the efficacy of anti-EV71 agents and is valuable for anti-EV71 drug screening and evaluation, especially, under in vivo conditions.

Analysis of synonymous codon usage in hepatitis A virus.

BackgroundHepatitis A virus is the causative agent of type A viral hepatitis, which causes occasional acute hepatitis. Nevertheless, little information about synonymous codon usage pattern of HAV genome in the process of its evolution is available. In this study, the key genetic determinants of codon usage in HAV were examined.ResultsThe overall extent of codon usage bias in HAV is high in Picornaviridae. And the patterns of synonymous codon usage are quite different in HAV genomes from different location. The base composition is closely correlated with codon usage bias. Furthermore, the most important determinant that results in such a high codon bias in HAV is mutation pressure rather than natural selection.ConclusionsHAV presents a higher codon usage bias than other members of Picornaviridae. Compositional constraint is a significant element that influences the variation of synonymous codon usage in HAV genome. Besides, mutation pressure is supposed to be the major factor shaping the hyperendemic codon usage pattern of HAV.

Engineered Picornavirus VPg-RNA Substrates: Analysis of a Tyrosyl-RNA Phosphodiesterase Activity

Using poliovirus, the prototypic member of Picornaviridae, we have further characterized a host cell enzymatic activity found in uninfected cells, termed “unlinkase,” that recognizes and cleaves the unique 5′ tyrosyl-RNA phosphodiester bond found at the 5′ end of picornavirus virion RNAs. This bond connects VPg, a viral-encoded protein primer essential for RNA replication, to the viral RNA; it is cleaved from virion RNA prior to its engaging in protein synthesis as mRNA. Due to VPg retention on nascent RNA strands and replication templates, but not on viral mRNA, we hypothesize that picornaviruses utilize unlinkase activity as a means of controlling the ratio of viral RNAs that are translated versus those that either serve as RNA replication templates or are encapsidated. To test our hypothesis and further characterize this enzyme, we have developed a novel assay to detect unlinkase activity. We demonstrate that unlinkase activity can be detected using this assay, that this unique activity remains unchanged over the course of a poliovirus infection in HeLa cells, and that unlinkase activity is unaffected by the presence of exogenous VPg or anti-VPg antibodies. Furthermore, we have determined that unlinkase recognizes and cleaves a human rhinovirus-poliovirus chimeric substrate with the same efficiency as the poliovirus substrate.

Role of Lipids on Entry and Exit of Bluetongue Virus, a Complex Non-Enveloped Virus

Non-enveloped viruses such as members of Picornaviridae and Reoviridae are assembled in the cytoplasm and are generally released by cell lysis. However, recent evidence suggests that some non-enveloped viruses exit from infected cells without lysis, indicating that these viruses may also utilize alternate means for egress. Moreover, it appears that complex, non-enveloped viruses such as bluetongue virus (BTV) and rotavirus interact with lipids during their entry process as well as with lipid rafts during the trafficking of newly synthesized progeny viruses. This review will discuss the role of lipids in the entry, maturation and release of non-enveloped viruses, focusing mainly on BTV.

Cleavage of eukaryotic initiation factor eIF5B by enterovirus 3C proteases

The enteroviruses poliovirus (PV), Coxsackie B virus (CVB) and rhinovirus (HRV) are members of Picornaviridae that inhibit host cell translation early in infection. Enterovirus translation soon predominates in infected cells, but eventually also shuts off. This complex pattern of modulation of translation suggests regulation by a multifactorial mechanism. We report here that eIF5B is proteolytically cleaved during PV and CVB infection of cultured cells, beginning at 3 hours post-infection and increasing thereafter. Recombinant PV, CVB and HRV 3C pro cleaved purified native rabbit eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 5B in vitro at a single site (VVEQ↓G, equivalent to VMEQ↓G 479 in human eIF5B) that is consistent with the cleavage specificity of enterovirus 3C proteases. Cleavage separates the N-terminal domain of eIF5B from its essential conserved central GTPase and C-terminal domains. 3C pro-mediated cleavage of eIF5B may thus play an accessory role in the shutoff of translation that occurs in enterovirus-infected cells.

The VP1 protein of avian encephalomyelitis virus is a major host-protective immunogen that serves as diagnostic potential

Avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) is an important pathogen of poultry and is classified as a member of Picornaviridae. To investigate the protective immunity induced by AEV structural proteins, recombinant VP1, VP0, and VP3 proteins were expressed in a baculovirus system. The result of in vivo protection assays shows that the VP1 protein is a major host-protective immunogen against AEV challenge and demonstrates further that the antibody raised against VP1 protein could neutralize more effectively AEV infection than antibody against VP3 or VP0 protein in a virus neutralization test. These purified recombinant proteins were subsequently evaluated as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigens for detection of AEV infection. A total number of 50 positive sera and 30 negative sera were tested for ELISA validation. Results obtained by testing 193 sera from chickens suspected of being infected AEV further showed that the diagnostic sensitivities of the VP1, VP3, and VP0 protein-based ELISAs were 98.1, 80.6, and 51.9%, and their specificities were 100, 87.9, and 81.8%, respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity of the VP1 protein-based ELISA were comparable with a commercially available test, indicating that the VP1 protein has a highly promising and reliable diagnostic potential, and thus is a suitable antigen for ELISA detection of AEV antibodies in chickens.

Isolation and Characterization of Novel Human Parechovirus from Clinical Samples

Using Vero cells, we isolated a virus (NII561-2000) from a cerebrospinal fluid specimen of a 1-year-old girl with Reye syndrome. The determined amino acid sequence of the virus indicated that the isolate was a human parechovirus (HPeV), a member of Picornaviridae. Neutralization test showed that the NII561-2000 virus had distinct antigenicity to HPeV-1, HPeV-2, and HPeV-3, and that the sequence was distinct from these types as well as from HPeV-4 and HPeV-5. Thus, we propose the virus (NII561-2000) as the prototype of HPeV-6. We isolated 10 NII561-2000-related viruses, 14 HPeV-1, 16 HPeV-3, and 1 HPeV-4 of 41 HPeVs from various clinical samples collected in Niigata, Japan. Clinical symptoms of the persons infected with the NII561-2000-related viruses were infectious gastroenteritis, rash, upper respiratory tract infection, and paralysis, in addition to Reye syndrome in the 1-year-old girl.

Phylogenetic analysis of Ljungan virus and A-2 plaque virus, new members of the Picornaviridae

In addition to the viruses belonging to the nine proposed genera of the Picornaviridae, Enterovirus, Rhinovirus, Cardiovirus, Aphtovirus, Hepatovirus, Parechovirus, Kobuvirus, Erbovirus and Teschovirus, two new members of this family have recently been discovered. Three strains of Ljungan virus (LV) were isolated from bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus) and A-2 plaque virus (A-2) was isolated from human sera. To study the genetic relationship between these recently discovered viruses and the members of the family Picornaviridae, an evolutionary analysis has been carried out using the amino acid sequences of the two nonstructural proteins 2C and 3D. Phylogenetic analysis using prime members of the nine genera support the division of picornaviruses into the proposed genera. The study also supports a previous suggestion based on analysis of partial sequences of the structural proteins that LV is more related to the genus of Parechovirus than to other picornaviruses, but also shows that the three LV strains used in the comparison constitute a distinct monophyletic group, clearly separated from the parechoviruses. The analyses using the 2C and 3D sequences clearly showed that A-2 was related to the genera of Rhinovirus and Enterovirus, but it was not possible to group the A-2 with high confidence into one of the genera. Comparison using the VP1 protein sequences of Enterovirus and Rhinovirus showed that although the A-2 virus is positioned between the two genera, the virus is more related to the genus of Enterovirus than to Rhinovirus. Our analysis of the three LV strains based on the phylogenetic analysis of the 2C and 3D proteins suggests that the strains used in this study constitute a monophyletic group clearly related to Parechovirus of Picornaviridae. The taxonomic position of the A-2 virus is presently uncertain but available data indicate that this virus may be classified as a member of the genus of Enterovirus.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of Triatoma virus shows that it is a member of a novel group of insect RNA viruses.

Triatoma virus (TrV) is the only virus described to date that infects triatomines, and has previously been considered to be a member of the family Picornaviridae on the basis of physico-chemical properties. The genome of TrV was sequenced completely (9010 nt). Analysis of the sequence revealed the presence of two large open reading frames (ORFs). The predicted amino acid sequence of ORF1 (nt 549-5936) showed significant similarity to the non-structural proteins of several animal and plant RNA viruses. This ORF product contains sequence motifs characteristic of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp), cysteine proteases and RNA helicases. ORF1 is preceded by 548 nucleotides of non-coding RNA and the two ORFs are separated by 172 nucleotides of non-coding RNA. Direct N terminus sequence analysis of two capsid proteins showed that ORF2 (nt 6109-8715) encodes the structural proteins of TrV. The predicted amino acid sequence of ORF2 is very similar to the corresponding regions of Drosophila C virus, Plautia stali intestine virus, Rhopalosiphum padi virus and Himetobi P virus and to a partial sequence from the 3' end of the cricket paralysis virus genome. All of these viruses have a novel genome organization and it has been proposed that they are not members of the Picornaviridae, as previously thought, but belong to a new virus family. On the basis of similarities of genome organization, we propose that TrV also belongs to this new virus family.

Biological and epidemiological characteristics of Aichi virus, as a new member of Picornaviridae

Biological and epidemiological characteristics of Aichi virus, as a new member of Picornaviridae