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Journal of Virology, November 2001, p. 10041-10053, Vol. 75, No. 21
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.21.10041-10053.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Overexpression of the Adenovirus Type 12 (Ad12) pTP
or E1A Gene Facilitates Ad12 DNA Replication in Nonpermissive BHK21
Hamster Cells
Marianna
Hösel,
Dennis
Webb,
Jörg
Schröer,
Birgit
Schmitz, and
Walter
Doerfler*
Institut für Genetik, Universität
zu Köln, D-50931 Cologne, Germany
Received 20 February 2001/Accepted 7 August 2001
 |
ABSTRACT |
In the adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) hamster cell system, abortive
virus infection is one of the factors associated with the highly efficient oncogenesis in newborn Syrian hamsters. We have shown earlier
that the replication and efficient late transcription of the Ad12
genome are blocked in Syrian hamster cells. Some of the early Ad12
functions are transcribed in these cells, although at a minimal rate.
In the present study, we demonstrate that low expression levels of the
E1A and precursor to terminal protein (pTP) genes of Ad12 seem to be
responsible for the lack of Ad12 DNA replication in hamster cells. The
Ad12 genes for the E1A functions or for pTP were tethered to the strong
early promoter of the human cytomegalovirus and transfected into BHK21
cells. Subsequently, these cells were infected with Ad12 virions. In
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, which overexpressed pTP or E1A, full-length
Ad12 DNA was de novo synthesized, as documented by metabolic labeling with [3H]thymidine and by zone velocity sedimentation in
alkaline sucrose gradients followed by gel electrophoresis of the
3H-labeled DNA and Southern blot hybridization to
32P-labeled Ad12 DNA. Transfection of the cloned E1A region
of Ad2 yielded similar results. The newly synthesized Ad12 DNA was
covalently linked to pTP. The Ad12 DNA binding protein (DBP) and DNA
polymerase (pol) genes were transcribed at levels
similar to those in merely Ad12-infected cells. In pTP or E1A
gene-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, marginal levels of late
Ad12 mRNA were detectable. Late Ad12 proteins were, however, not
synthesized. Apparently, Ad12 DNA replication in hamster cells is
rendered impossible due to insufficient threshold levels of the viral
E1A and/or pTP.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
The array of cellular and viral
genetic functions expressed in a cell preceding, during, and subsequent
to viral infection is decisive for the outcome of individual virus-cell
interactions. Syrian hamster cells, such as the BHK21 cell line or
primary Syrian hamster cells, are permissive for the replication of
human adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) at moderate levels (30). In
contrast, the replication of human Ad12 is totally blocked in BHK21
Syrian hamster cells (6, 29). Studies of the interaction
of Ad12 with Syrian hamsters are of particular interest because of the
high oncogenic potential of this virus in newborn Syrian hamsters
(10, 17, 31). In BHK21 cells, Ad12 DNA replication cannot
proceed, and late viral functions are not detectably transcribed,
whereas some of the early Ad12 genes are expressed, many at reduced
rates (for reviews, see references 6, 11, 20, 25, and
35). Ad12 precursor to terminal protein (pTP) and the Ad12
DNA polymerase can associate in extracts from Ad12-infected BHK21 cells
in vitro to form an initiation complex of Ad12 DNA, although chain
elongation never proceeds. Moreover, this initiation activity is
markedly lower in BHK21 cell extracts than that achieved with extracts
from Ad12 productively infected human KB cells (5, 20).
The data now available on this abortive system suggest there are stops
or inefficiencies at several levels in the viral replication cycle. In
addition, there is a negative regulatory or mitigator element
downstream of the major late promoter region of Ad12 DNA
(34). The E1 functions of Ad5, the genes of which are
integrated and constitutively expressed in the Ad5-transformed hamster
cell line BHK297-C131, can help to partly overcome the blocks in Ad12
DNA replication and late transcription (14, 15), but not in late mRNA
translation (25).
We have now demonstrated that the pTP and E1A functions of Ad12 are
minimally expressed in abortively infected BHK21 cells. We have,
therefore, investigated the effects of transfecting and overexpressing
the early Ad12 function E1A or pTP in BHK21 cells that have
subsequently been infected with Ad12. E1A is the paradigm viral
transactivator of all viral (2, 13, 21, 26) and numerous
cellular promoters. pTP, the precursor for the Ad12 terminal protein
(TP), an E2B function, plays an important role in the initiation of
adenovirus DNA replication (22; for review, see reference
32) and in the interaction of the viral DNA with the nuclear matrix (9, 24). BHK21 cells transfected with the pTP or the E1A gene of Ad12 or the E1A gene of Ad2 are capable of
synthesizing moderate amounts of full-length Ad12 DNA. The detection by
reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) of late Ad12 transcripts in pTP or
E1A gene-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells is marginal. Late
Ad12 proteins are not made in this substituted system.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Cell lines, virus, and virus infection.
Human HeLa cells,
the baby hamster kidney cell line BHK21, or the Ad5-transformed hamster
cell line BHK297-C131 (C131) (33) were grown on monolayer
cultures in Dulbecco medium (1) supplemented with 10%
fetal calf serum. Human Ad2 and Ad12 were propagated in HeLa cells and
purified as described previously (6). For the infection
with Ad2 or Ad12, cells were grown on monolayers to 40 to 50%
confluence. HeLa cells were infected with 20 to 25 PFU of CsCl-purified
Ad12 per cell. C131 cells were inoculated with 75 to 100 PFU of Ad12.
BHK21 cells were infected with 20 to 25 or with 75 to 100 PFU of Ad2 or
Ad12 per cell, respectively.
Construction of the expression vectors and transfection of BHK21
cells.
The 871-bp fragment corresponding to the E1A gene of Ad12,
the 984-bp fragment corresponding to the E1A gene of Ad2, or the 1,821-bp fragment corresponding to the pTP gene of Ad12 was amplified by PCR (23) with the 12E1Af and 12E1Ar, 2E1Af and 2E1Ar,
or the pTPf and pTPr primers, respectively (described below). These primers contained the following sequences for the NheI and
BamHI restriction sites (indicated by underlining),
respectively: 12E1Af, 5'-GAAGCTAGCATGAGAACTGAAATGACTCCC-3'
(f = forward); 12E1Ar,
5'-GACGGATCCTTACATCTAGGGCGTTTCAC-3' (r = reverse); 2E1Af,
5'-GAAGCTAGCATGAGACATATTATCTGCCAC-3'; 2E1Ar, 5'-GACGGATCCTTATGGCCTGGGGCGTTTAC-3'; pTPf,
5'-GAAGCTAGCATGCGAGCAACAACTACC-3'; and pTPr,
5'-AAAGGATCCTTAAAATCGGCGGCGCGGAC-5'.
The PCR fragments thus generated were cloned into the NheI
and BamHI sites of the expression vector pEGFP-C1
(Clontech). In this vector, the enhanced green fluorescent protein
(EGFP) gene was under the control of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)
promoter. Previously, the pEGFP-C1 vector had been cut with
NheI and BamHI to excise the EGFP gene and
to prepare the vector for the insertion of PCR products. For
electroporation, BHK21 cells were grown to about half-confluence on
monolayer cultures. About 2.5 × 106 cells
were suspended in 0.5 ml of RPMI medium without glutamine or dye (Life
Technologies, Inc.). Ten micrograms of the different plasmid constructs
plus 3 µg of the pEGFP-C1 vector were added, and the mixture was
electroporated in 4-mm-diameter cuvettes with a Bio-Rad gene pulser at
300 V, 960 µF at room temperature. The cells were then incubated at
37°C in 60-mm-diameter dishes in Dulbecco medium supplemented with
10% fetal calf serum.
At 18 h after electroporation, the BHK21 cells were washed twice
in phosphate-buffered saline without Mg
2+ and
Ca
2+ (PBSd) (
8) and mock infected or
Ad12 infected as described
above. Subsequently, DNA, RNA, or protein
was extracted from these
cells at different times postinfection (p.i.).
Southern blot analyses.
At different times p.i., the total
cellular DNA was extracted from BHK21 cells, which were mock or Ad12
infected or which had previously been transfected with different
constructs and then subsequently infected with Ad12. For DNA
preparation, a Qiagen genomic purification kit was used. Ten-microgram
amounts of DNA were cleaved with EcoRI, and the fragments
were electrophoresed on a 0.7% agarose gel. Upon Southern blot
transfer (16, 28) to nylon membranes, Ad12-specific DNA
was visualized by hybridization to the
32P-labeled EcoRI-E and
EcoRI-F fragments of Ad12 DNA (map in Fig. 5) that had been
excised and gel purified from the pBR322 vectors.
Analyses of newly synthesized Ad12 DNA in E1A- or pTP-transfected
and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells.
At 18 h after electroporation,
E1A- or pTP-transfected BHK21 cells were mock or Ad12 infected as
described above. Mock-infected BHK21 cells, nontransfected but
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, and mock- and Ad12-infected C131 or HeLa
cells were investigated as controls. The newly synthesized DNA in these
systems was labeled by adding [3H]thymidine
(370 GBq/mmol) at a concentration of 35 µCi per ml of medium at
6 h p.i. At 28 h p.i. or after mock infection, about 105 hamster cells or about 2 × 104 HeLa cells were lysed by adding them to a
0.4-ml top layer of 0.5 N NaOH-10 mM EDTA on a 5 to 20% sucrose
gradient in 0.7 M NaCl-0.3 M NaOH-10 mM EDTA in an SW41 rotor tube of
a Beckman ultracentrifuge. After completion of lysis at 4°C for
18 h, the samples were centrifuged for 3 h at 35,000 rpm at
4°C. The bottom of the tube was then punctured, and 300-µl
fractions were collected. The 3H activity in each
fraction was determined in a Beckman liquid scintillation counter. The
entire procedure was described in detail earlier (4). To
assess the nature of the 3H-labeled DNA, portions
of the 3H-labeled peak or of the neighboring
fractions devoid of 3H label were neutralized
with acetic acid, ethanol precipitated, and analyzed by electrophoresis
on a 0.7% agarose gel followed by Southern blotting.
32P-labeled Ad12 DNA was used as a hybridization probe.
Production of anti-Ad12 pTP serum.
The 1,821-bp-long pTP
gene of Ad12 was amplified by PCR with TP1 and TP3 primers containing
sequences for the BamHI and SmaI restriction
sites (indicated by underlining):
TP1(5'-CCGGATCCCTATGCGAGCAACAACTACCGCTGCC-3') and TP3 (
5'-GAGCCCGGGTTAAAATCGGCGGCGCGGACGAGCTCC-3'). The
thus-generated PCR fragment was cloned into the pGEX-3X expression
vector (Pharmacia Biotech), and the cloned pTP was expressed in
E. coli strain BL21 as a glutathione
S-transferase (GST) fusion protein (27).
For optimal expression of the GST-pTP protein, overnight cultures were
diluted 1:10 in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium in the presence of 100 µg
of ampicillin per ml. After 1 h at 37°C, the bacterial culture
was adjusted to 5 mM IPTG
(isopropyl-
-D-thiogalactopyranoside), followed
by 2.5 h of incubation at 37°C. The bacteria were then harvested
by centrifugation and resuspended in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). After
ultrasonic treatment of the bacterial suspension, cellular proteins
were fractionated by electrophoresis on a sodium dodecyl sulfate
(SDS)-10% polyacrylamide gel and stained with Coomassie brilliant
blue R250. The 93-kDa band corresponding to the GST-pTP fusion protein
was excised from the gel and was used for the production of the
polyclonal rabbit antibody by Eurogentech (Seraing, Belgium).
Western blot analysis.
Cells were either mock infected or
infected with Ad12 or Ad2, harvested at different times p.i., and
solubilized in the T-PER protein extraction reagent (Pierce). After
pelleting the cell debris by centrifugation at 10,000 rpm for 5 min,
the supernatant was collected, and the protein concentration was
determined by the Bradford method (3). Appropriate amounts
of protein extracts were fractionated by electrophoresis in
SDS-polyacrylamide gels (18) and transferred to Hybond-P
polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (Western blotting). Specific
proteins were identified by using different primary antibodies. The
Ad12 E1A protein was detected with a mouse monoclonal antibody kindly
provided by R. Grand, Birmingham, United Kingdom. An Ad2 E1A (13S-5)
polyclonal rabbit antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was used to
recognize the Ad2 or Ad5 E1A antigens. The Ad12 fiber protein was
detected with the Ad12 fiber rabbit antiserum kindly provided by P. Freimuth, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y. A GFP (FL)
polyclonal rabbit antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was used to
detect the GFP. After the incubation with primary antibodies in
Tris-buffered saline (TBS) containing 5% (wt/vol) milk powder and
0.05% (vol/vol) Tween 20, the membranes were washed and incubated with
the horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse or anti-rabbit
secondary antibodies (Amersham) and developed with the ECL-plus
enhanced chemiluminescence detection system (Amersham). Prior to
reprobing, membranes were incubated for 30 min at 60°C in stripping
buffer (100 mM
-mercaptoethanol, 2% SDS, 62.5 mM Tris-HCl [pH
6.7]) and washed twice in TBS containing 0.05% (vol/vol) Tween 20.
Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR.
Total RNA from mock- or
Ad12-infected cells was purified by using the RNeasy Midi extraction
kit (Qiagen). For RNA transfer (Northern blotting) experiments, 20 µg
of RNA was fractionated by electrophoresis on 1% agarose gels
containing 2.2 M formaldehyde. Subsequently, the RNA was transferred to
nylon membranes by standard protocols (19). The RNA was
then hybridized to a 32P-labeled PCR fragment of
Ad12 DNA, which carried the E1A gene of Ad12.
For RT-PCR, total RNA was isolated from BHK21 cells that had been
transfected with the E1A gene of Ad12, with the E1A gene
of Ad2, or
with the pTP gene of Ad12 and then infected with Ad12.
To analyze for
the presence of the Ad12 pTP transcripts, 100 ng
of total RNA was
subjected to quantitative RT-PCR by using primers
for the pTP gene
5'-AAGTGACGTGTGGGGAATGG-3' (sense) and
5'-GAGCCCGGGAACTCCACCTCTAAGTTC-3'
(antisense). RNAs from
mock- or pEGFP-C1-transfected and Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells as well as
from mock- or merely Ad12-infected HeLa
cells were used as controls.
RT-PCR was performed with avian myeloblastosis
virus (AMV) reverse
transcriptase and
Tfl DNA polymerase in the
same reaction
(Access RT-PCR; Promega). As an internal control,
the transcription of
the

-actin gene was analyzed by coamplification
with a second,

-actin-specific primer pair: 5'-ATGGATGATGATATCGCCGC-3'
(sense) and 5'-GTGTGGTGCCAGATTTTCTCC-3' (antisense).
RT-PCR was
carried out with 100 ng of each primer, 1 mM
Mg
2+, a 0.2 mM concentration of each of the four
deoxynucleoside triphosphates
(dNTPs) in the presence of 0.1 µCi of
[

-
32P]dCTP (3,000 µCi/mmol), and 2.5 U of
both enzymes in AMV/
Tfl buffer (Promega) in a volume of 25 µl by using a DNA Thermo Cycler
(Perkin-Elmer
Cetus).
Total RNA from mock-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells was
analyzed in different RT-PCR experiments with 25 to 40 PCR
cycles. The
synthesis of pTP-specific RT-PCR products in BHK21
cells, which had
been abortively infected with Ad12, was first
detected after 35 PCR
cycles. Temperature cycling was as follows:
48°C for 45 min (RT); 35 cycles at 94°C for 30 s, 63°C for 1 min,
and 68°C for
45 s; and 68°C for 5 min, allowing sequential RT
and PCR without
interruptions. Portions of 6 µl of the final 30-µl
PCR volume were
analyzed by electrophoresis on a 4% polyacrylamide
gel followed by
phosphorimager quantitation of the pTP or

-actin
RT-PCR products.
The intensity values for pTP or

-actin were
corrected for the
background as determined with RNA from mock-infected
BHK21 cells that
lacked the RT-PCR product of the Ad12 pTP gene.
Finally, all values
were normalized to the internal

-actin
standard.
BHK21 cells transfected with the pEGFP-C1, with the Ad12-pTP, with the
Ad12-E1A, or with the Ad2-E1A construct and subsequently
infected with
Ad12 were also analyzed for the expression of mRNAs
from the Ad12 DBP
gene or the Ad12 DNA polymerase gene by RT-PCR.
Total RNA was prepared
from these cells at 24 or 30 h p.i. RNA
isolated from mock- or
Ad12-infected BHK21, C131, or HeLa cells
was used as a control. RNA was
subjected to quantitative RT-PCR
as described above by using primers
for the

-actin gene (described
above) and for the Ad12 DBP or the
Ad12
pol gene: 12-DBP-f,
5'-GTAGTTCAAATTAAAAACGAC-3';
12-DBP-r,
5'-TTAAAAATCAAATGGCTC-3'; 12-pol-f,
5'-AAACATCAAATCCTCATC-3';
and 12-pol-r,
5'-CAAAGCCTCTGTAGCGTGGCC-3'.
In some experiments, BHK21 cells overexpressing the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A,
or Ad2 E1A gene and infected with Ad12 were tested
for the expression
of late viral mRNAs. Total RNA was then prepared
at 24 or 30 h
p.i. and analyzed by RT-PCR with primers specific
for the Ad12 fiber or
for the Ad12 100K gene: 12-fiber-f,
5'-TGGTGAGCTCCGATGGGTTGG-3';
12-fiber-r,
5'-TCCCCACGAAGCTTGGGGAAC-3'; 12-100K-f,
5'-CAGATTCAAGCGGCGAAGGCC-3';
and 12-100K-r,
5'-GGAACCTTCCTCCTCCTCCTC-3'. RT products were amplified
by
40 cycles as described above. Total RNA isolated from mock-
or
Ad12-infected HeLa cells was used in control
experiments.
Immunoprecipitation of intracellular Ad12 DNA by Ad12-pTP
antiserum.
BHK21 cells were transfected with Ad12-pTP and
pEGFP-C1, with Ad12-E1A and pEGFP-C1, or with Ad2-E1A and pEGFP-C1 as
described above. At 18 h after electroporation, the BHK21 cells
were infected with 100 PFU of Ad12 per cell, and human HeLa cells and
hamster C131 cells were infected with 25 and 100 PFU per cell,
respectively. Mock-infected BHK21 cells, nontransfected but
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, and Ad12-infected or mock-infected HeLa or
C131 cells were investigated as controls. At 28 h p.i. or after
mock infection, about 107 cells were suspended in
ice-cold phosphate buffered saline (PBS), which contained 1% Igepal
CA-630 (Sigma Chemicals), 0.1% SDS, and 4 mM Pefabloc SC protease
inhibitor (Roche). Cells were disrupted by ultrasonic treatment for 2 min in a Branson B-12 sonifier. After the cellular debris had been
removed, cell extracts were treated for 1 h at 4°C with 1.0 µg
of normal rabbit immunoglobulin G and 20 µl of protein A-agarose
conjugate (both from Santa Cruz Biotechnology). Subsequently, the beads
were pelleted by centrifugation at 1,000 × g, and the
precleared lysate was incubated at 4°C overnight under rotation with
15 µl of Ad12-pTP rabbit antiserum and 30 µl of protein A-agarose.
The immunoprecipitates were collected by centrifugation for 5 min at
1,000 × g and washed four times with PBS. For the
release of the Ad12 DNA from the Ad12 DNA pTP(TP)-Ad12 pTP
antiserum-protein A-agarose complex, beads were resuspended in 50 µl of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0)-2 mM EDTA-10 mM NaCl-1% SDS and
treated for 3 h at 55°C with 1 µg of proteinase K per ml. DNA
treated with proteinase K before immunoprecipitation was used as
negative control. Agarose beads were removed by centrifugation, and the
supernatant was analyzed for the presence of Ad12 DNA by a standard dot
blot procedure. Briefly, DNA aliquots in the supernatant were treated
with 0.4 M NaOH-5 mM EDTA, fixed on positively charged nylon membranes
(Roche), and hybridized with 32P-labeled Ad12 DNA
as described above.
 |
RESULTS |
Experimental design.
In the present study, BHK21 cells were
transfected with the pTP- or E1A-carrying constructs under HCMV
promoter control. Upon electroporation, these Ad12 functions were
overexpressed in BHK21 cells to a level that facilitated the de novo
synthesis of unit-length Ad12 DNA after infection with Ad12. Ad12 DNA
replication was assessed by labeling the newly synthesized Ad12 DNA
with [3H]thymidine and by zone velocity
sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients. The viral DNA peak
fractions were further identified by Southern blot hybridization with
32P-labeled Ad12 DNA as probe. The newly
synthesized Ad12 DNA was covalently linked to pTP as demonstrated by
immunoprecipitation with an anti-Ad12 pTP serum. Minimal transcription
of late viral genes in this complemented system was documented by
RT-PCR. Synthesis of the late Ad12 fiber protein was not detectable by
Western blot analyses.
Reduced expression of pTP and E1A in Ad12-infected BHK21
cells.
Since pTP plays a central role in the initiation of
adenovirus DNA replication, the expression of Ad12-specific pTP was
examined in productively or abortively Ad12-infected cells as well as
in C131 hamster cells which can partly complement Ad12 DNA replication. A polyclonal antiserum raised against recombinant pTP of Ad12 was used
in Western blot experiments to investigate pTP and TP syntheses in
Ad12-infected human or hamster cells (Fig.
1).

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FIG. 1.
Synthesis of pTP and TP in Ad12-infected BHK21, C131, or
HeLa cells. Protein extracts from mock-infected (lane 1) or
Ad12-infected (lane 2) BHK21 cells or from mock-infected (lane 3) or
Ad12-infected (lane 4) C131 cells were prepared 28 h after
infection, and those from mock-infected (lane 5) or Ad12-infected (lane
6) HeLa cells were prepared 20 h after infection.
One-hundred-microgram amounts of protein were fractionated by
electrophoresis on an SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel and analyzed for the
presence of pTP or TP by Western blotting as described in Materials and
Methods. The sizes of marker proteins are indicated on the left, and
the positions of pTP and TP are indicated on the right. Ad12 virions
(2 × 108 PFU) were coelectrophoresed as a control to
identify the position of the Ad12 TP (lane 7).
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|
In HeLa cells productively infected with Ad12, pTP was detected
starting at 16 h p.i. (data not shown), and TP was detected
starting at 20 h p.i. (Fig.
1, lane 6). In Ad12-infected C131
hamster cells, similar amounts of pTP were observed (Fig.
1, lane
4).
Ad12 DNA can replicate to a limited extent in Ad12-infected
C131 cells
in which the Ad5-specific E1A and E1B functions are
constitutively
expressed and facilitate Ad12 DNA replication in
the otherwise
nonpermissive hamster cells (
14,
15,
25).
However, Ad12
TP, which was present in Ad12 virions (Fig.
1, lane
7), was not
produced in C131 cells (Fig.
1, lane 4). The lack
of the Ad12 protease,
a late viral protein, which is responsible
for the proteolytic cleavage
of pTP to TP, presumably explains
the absence of the mature TP in
nonpermisive hamster cells. In
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, pTP was made
in amounts barely detectable
and markedly smaller than those in
Ad12-infected HeLa or C131
cells (Fig.
1, compare lane 2 to lanes 4 and
6), and TP was not
detected.
The concentrations of the Ad12 E1A and E1B proteins in Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells were shown to be 6 to 20-fold lower than
in Ad12-infected
KB cells (
20). We then investigated both the
transcription
of the Ad12 E1A genes and the synthesis of E1A proteins
in
Ad12-infected BHK1 cells as well as in Ad12-infected C131 or
HeLa
cells. The results of RNA transfer (Northern blot) experiments
revealed
only minute amounts of E1A-specific transcripts in Ad12-infected
BHK21
cells at 24 h p.i. (Fig.
2, lane 2).
In Ad12-infected HeLa
cells and in Ad12-infected C131 cells, E1A mRNAs
were readily
detectable at 16 and 24 h p.i., respectively (Fig.
2,
lanes 4
and 6). No cross hybridization was observed between the RNA
isolated
from mock-infected C131 cells and the Ad12 E1A-specific probe
(Fig.
2, lane 5).

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FIG. 2.
Minimal transcription of the E1A genes in Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells. Total RNA (20 µg) from mock-infected (lane 1) or
Ad12-infected (lane 2) BHK21 cells or from mock-infected (lane 5) or
Ad12-infected (lane 6) C131 cells was prepared at 24 h p.i., and
that from mock-infected (lane 3) or Ad12-infected (lane 4) HeLa cells
was prepared at 16 h p.i. The RNA was fractionated by
electrophoresis on a 1% agarose-2.2 M formaldehyde gel and
transferred to a nylon membrane. The RNA on the membrane was hybridized
to a 32P-labeled E1A fragment of Ad12 DNA generated by
PCR.
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|
As expected, the results of Western blot analyses revealed high
expression levels of E1A in Ad12-infected C131 cells (Fig.
3, lane 4) or HeLa cells (Fig.
3, lane
6). Ad12 E1A-specific monoclonal
antibodies did not react with the E1A
proteins of Ad5 constitutively
expressed in the mock-infected C131
complementing cell line (Fig.
3, lane 3). Hence, the E1A signal in
Ad12-infected C131 cells
could be unequivocally attributed to the
Ad12-specific E1A protein.
In contrast to Ad12-infected C131 or HeLa
cells, Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells produced only low levels of this
protein (Fig.
3,
lane 2). Based on these data, the question arose
whether the overexpression
of the Ad12 pTP or the Ad12 E1A genes in
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells
would help overcome the block of Ad12 DNA
replication in this
virus-cell system.

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FIG. 3.
E1A expression in Ad12-infected hamster or human cells.
Protein extracts from mock-infected (lane 1) or Ad12-infected (lane 2)
BHK21 cells or from mock-infected (lane 3) or Ad12-infected (lane 4)
C131 cells were prepared at 24 h p.i., and those from
mock-infected (lane 5) or Ad12-infected (lane 6) HeLa cells were
prepared at 16 h p.i. Seventy-five-microgram amounts of protein
were fractionated on an SDS-10% polyacrylamide gel and analyzed by
Western blotting for the presence of the Ad12 E1A proteins. The sizes
of the marker proteins and the gel positions of the Ad12 E1A
proteins are indicated on the right. Unspecific reaction products
different from the E1A proteins are indicated on the left.
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|
The overexpression of Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A in BHK21
cells.
BHK21 cells were transfected with one of the Ad12 pTP, Ad12
E1A, or Ad2 E1A expression constructs by electroporation as described in Materials and Methods. The pEGFP-C1 plasmid was cotransfected in all
experiments to determine the efficiency of transfection. At 18 h
after transfection by electroporation, cells were examined microscopically for the expression of GFP and then infected with Ad12.
About 40% of the cells proved to be positively GFP transfected. At
28 h p.i. or post-mock infection (p.m.i.), BHK21 cells
cotransfected with Ad12 pTP and pEGFP-C1, with Ad12 E1A and pEGFP-C1,
or with Ad2 E1A and pEGFP-C1 were tested by Western blotting for the
presence of pTP of Ad12, E1A of Ad12, or E1A of Ad2, respectively.
After incubation with the appropriate antibodies, membranes were
stripped and subsequently reprobed with the polyclonal rabbit anti-GFP serum to monitor the efficiency of transfection and GFP expression.
The expression of the Ad12 E1A proteins was analyzed by using a mouse
monoclonal Ad12 E1A antibody. Western blot analyses
revealed no E1A in
mock-infected BHK21 cells (Fig.
4A, lane
1).
In mock-transfected BHK21 cells infected with Ad12 or in cells
transfected with pEGFP-C1 (vector control) and infected with Ad12,
only
tiny amounts of Ad12 E1A were detected (Fig.
4A, lanes 2
and 3). In
BHK21 cells transfected with Ad12 pTP, the expression
of Ad12
E1A-specific proteins was not increased (data not shown).
In contrast,
E1A expression was detectable in mock-infected or
Ad12-infected BHK21
cells, which had previously been transfected
with the Ad12 E1A
construct (Fig.
4A, lanes 4 and 5). Expression
of the cotransfected GFP
gene was apparent in all transfection
experiments (Fig.
4, lanes 3 to
5).

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FIG. 4.
Overexpression of Ad12 E1A or Ad12 pTP in BHK21 cells.
BHK21 cells were transfected with the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A
construct by electroporation as described in Materials and Methods. The
pEGFP-C1 plasmid was cotransfected in all experiments as an internal
control to monitor transfection and expression efficiencies. At 18 h after transfection, cells were infected with Ad12. At 28 h p.i.,
protein extracts were prepared, 100 µg of protein was fractionated on
an SDS-12.5% polyacrylamide gel, and the expression of Ad12 pTP or
E1A was analyzed. (A) Western blot analyses of Ad12 E1A in protein
extracts from mock-transfected and mock-infected BHK21 cells (lane 1),
mock-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (lane 2), BHK21 cells
transfected with the pEGFP-C1 construct and infected with Ad12 (lane
3), and BHK21 cells transfected with the Ad12 E1A construct and mock
(lane 4) or Ad12 (lane 5) infected. (B) Western blot analyses for the
presence of the Ad12 pTP and TP in protein extracts from
mock-transfected and mock-infected BHK21 cells (lane 1), BHK21 cells
transfected with the pEGFP-C1 construct and infected with Ad12 (lane
2), BHK21 cells transfected with the Ad12 pTP construct and mock (lane
3) or Ad12 (lane 4) infected, BHK21 cells transfected with the Ad12 E1A
(lane 5) or Ad2 E1A (lane 6) construct and infected with Ad12, and
mock-infected (lane 7) or Ad12-infected (lane 8) C131 cells. Ad12
virions (4 × 108 PFU) were coelectrophoresed as a
control to identify the gel position of the Ad12 TP (lane 9). For
reprobing, the membranes in panels A and B were stripped and
subsequently incubated with a polyclonal rabbit antibody raised against
GFP to monitor the efficiency of transfection and GFP expression. The
positions of E1A of Ad12 (A), pTP and TP of Ad12 (B), and GFP (A and B)
are indicated on the right. Unspecific reaction products (A and B) of
the polyclonal antibodies are designated on the left.
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Polyclonal antibodies against Ad2 E1A were used to examine the
expression of the Ad2 E1A protein in BHK21 cells transfected
with
different constructs. This antiserum recognized specifically
the E1A
proteins of Ad2 or Ad5 and not those of Ad12 (data not
shown). Western
blot analyses revealed the expression of the Ad2
E1A protein in BHK21
cells transfected with the Ad2 E1A construct,
although at levels lower
than in Ad2-infected BHK21 cells or in
Ad5-transformed C131 hamster
cells (data not shown) which expressed
the E1A of
Ad5.
The expression of Ad12 pTP and TP in transfected BHK21 cells was
studied with polyclonal rabbit antibodies, which recognized
both
proteins. Western blot analyses revealed no pTP in mock-transfected
and
mock-infected BHK21 cells (Fig.
4B, lane 1), minimal amounts
in
pEGFP-C1-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (Fig.
4B,
lane 2),
and large amounts of pTP in extracts of Ad12-infected
C131 cells (Fig.
4B, lane 8). Moreover, pTP synthesis was readily
detected in BHK21
cells transfected with the Ad12-pTP and mock
infected (Fig.
4B, lane 3)
or infected with Ad12 (Fig.
4B, lane
4). The amounts of Ad12 pTP were
increased in Ad12-infected BHK21
cells that had previously been
transfected with the Ad12 E1A (Fig.
4B, lane 5) or Ad2 E1A (Fig.
4B,
lane 6) construct, compared to
the amounts in cells that had not been
transfected with E1A, but
had been infected with Ad12 (Fig.
4B, lane
2). The mature form
of TP was not produced in any of these transfection
experiments,
but it was present in Ad12 virions (Fig.
4B, lane 9).
Again, in
all transfection experiments, the GFP gene, which was
cotransfected
as an internal control, was expressed (Fig.
4B, lanes 2 to 6).
The nature of the additional protein band reacting
unspecifically
with the pTP antiserum (Fig.
4B, unspecific band) was
not
determined.
The overexpression of the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A construct
in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells facilitates replication of Ad12 DNA.
BHK21 cells grown on monolayers to half-confluence were transfected by
electroporation with one of the constructs Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2
E1A as described in Materials and Methods. In all experiments, the
pEGFP-C1 plasmid was cotransfected. Transfection efficiency was
monitored by UV light microscopy for green fluorescent cells and found
to be about 40%. At 18 h after transfection, the cells were
infected with CsCl-purified Ad12 at a multiplicity of 100 PFU per cell.
At 14, 20, 28, and 36 h p.i., the total intracellular DNA was
extracted, and then 10 µg of that DNA was cleaved with EcoRI, blotted to a nylon membrane, and hybridized to the
32P-labeled 2,495-bp EcoRI-E and the
721-bp EcoRI-F fragments of Ad12 DNA (see EcoRI
restriction map of Ad12 in Fig. 5), which lacked homologies to any of the transfected constructs. Hybridization signals were thus specific for the infecting Ad12 genome. Increases in
signal intensities might indicate the de novo synthesis of Ad12 DNA.
BHK21 cells transfected with the internal control plasmid pEGFP-C1 and
subsequently infected with Ad12 failed to show any increase in
Ad12-specific signals with time p.i. (Fig. 5, lanes a) as compared to
mock-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (Fig. 5, controls). In
contrast, DNA from BHK21 cells transfected with the Ad12 pTP (Fig. 5,
lanes b), Ad12 E1A (lanes c), or Ad2 E1A (lanes d) construct and then
infected with Ad12 demonstrated increases in the intensities of the
Ad12-specific EcoRI-E and EcoRI-F fragments
starting at 20 h p.i. Phosphorimager analyses revealed
increases by factors of 23 (Fig. 5, lanes b), 5 (lanes c), or 25 (lanes
d) in comparison to the Ad12-infected BHK21 control cells (Fig. 5,
lanes a and controls) at 28 h p.i. Ad12-specific signals increased
up to 28 h p.i. and then diminished at 36 h p.i. At late
times after infection, the concentrations of the overexpressed viral
proteins might be reduced due to the degradation of the transfected DNA
constructs. Thus, the concomitant degradation of newly synthesized Ad12
DNA might not be compensated for by continued Ad12 DNA replication. A
shortage of additional viral and/or cellular functions, which are
essential for Ad12 DNA replication, might also have played a role. In
some experiments, BHK21 cells were cotransfected with both the Ad12 pTP
and Ad12 E1A constructs or with the Ad12 pTP and Ad2 E1A constructs.
These protocols did not improve the results in comparison to single
transfection experiments and were therefore abandoned as possibly being
too stressful for the cells.

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FIG. 5.
Southern blot analyses of the DNA from mock- or
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (controls) or from BHK21 cells transfected
with the pEGFP-C1 (lanes a), Ad12 pTP (lanes b), Ad12 E1A (lanes c), or
Ad2 E1A (lanes d) construct and infected with Ad12 at 18 h after
transfection. At 14, 20, 28, and 36 h p.i., the total
intracellular DNA was extracted, and 10 µg of DNA was cleaved with
EcoRI. The fragments were separated by electrophoresis
on a 0.8% agarose gel, Southern blotted, and hybridized to the
32P-labeled EcoRI-E and
EcoRI-F fragments of Ad12 DNA. DNA from mock- or
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (controls) was prepared at 28 h p.i.
Purified Ad12 virion DNA (0.5 ng) was cleaved with EcoRI
and coelectrophoresed as a control to identify the positions of the
EcoRI-E and EcoRI-F fragments of Ad12
DNA. The EcoRI restriction map of Ad12 DNA is presented
for orientation, and the positions of the E1A and pTP genes of Ad12 are
designated by arrows.
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De novo synthesis of unit-length Ad12 DNA in nonpermissive BHK21
cells.
The data presented in Fig. 5 suggested that the
overexpression of the pTP or E1A genes of Ad12 facilitated Ad12 DNA
replication in nonpermissive BHK21 hamster cells. The de novo synthesis
of unit-length Ad12 DNA in BHK21 cells upon previous transfection with
the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or the Ad2 E1A construct was, therefore, investigated by labeling the newly synthesized DNA in these
complemented systems with [3H]thymidine.
Subsequently, the total intracellular DNA was analyzed by zone velocity
sedimentation in alkaline sucrose density gradients upon alkali lysis
of the cells at 28 h p.i. (4). In mock-infected BHK21, HeLa, or C131 cells (Fig. 6A, C,
and D), Ad12 DNA was not synthesized, nor was it synthesized in BHK21
cells transfected previously with the pEGFP-C1 plasmid and then
infected with Ad12 virions (Fig. 6B). The peaks of
3H-labeled DNA apparent in fractions 4 to 6 most
likely represented cellular DNA synthesized during the labeling period
between 6 and 28 h p.i. or p.m.i. In HeLa or C131 cells, which
were competent for Ad12 DNA replication, Ad12 infection led to the
synthesis of DNA that sedimented at fraction 17 or 15 (Fig. 6E and F,
respectively). When nonpermissive BHK21 cells were first transfected
with the Ad12 pTP (Fig. 6G), Ad12 E1A (Fig. 6H), or Ad2 E1A (Fig. 6I)
construct and subsequently infected with Ad12 virions at 18 h
posttransfection, a peak of newly synthesized,
3H-labeled DNA at fraction 16 was readily
detected (Fig. 6G to I). These peak fractions from each experiment were
isolated and neutralized, and the DNA was ethanol precipitated. The DNA
was subsequently identified as Ad12 DNA by electrophoresis on agarose gels, Southern blotting, and hybridization to
32P-labeled authentic Ad12 virion DNA (Fig.
7, lanes 1, 4, 7, and 10). Corresponding
gradient fractions from mock-infected HeLa (Fig. 7, lane 2) or BHK21
cells (lane 13) contained no Ad12 DNA. DNA fraction 16 from
nontransfected BHK21 cells or from BHK21 cells transfected with the
pEGFP-C1 plasmid but infected with Ad12, which did not correspond to a
3H-labeled peak fraction from the sucrose
gradients, showed a weak Ad12-specific signal, which most likely
represented input (parental) Ad12 DNA (Fig. 7, lanes 14 and 12, respectively). Gradient fractions neighboring the
3H-labeled peak fractions proved devoid of Ad12
DNA at the film exposure shown here (Fig. 7, lanes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and
11).

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FIG. 6.
Replication of full-length Ad12 DNA in BHK21 cells
transfected with the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A construct. BHK21
cells transfected with the pEGFP-C1 (B), Ad12 pTP (G), Ad12 E1A (H), or
Ad2 E1A (I) construct were infected with Ad12 at 18 h after
transfection. The newly synthesized DNA was labeled by adding 35 µCi
of [3H]thymidine per ml of medium at 6 h p.i. The
total intracellular DNA was analyzed by zone velocity sedimentation in
alkaline sucrose density gradients 28 h after infection as
described in Materials and Methods. DNA from mock-transfected and
mock-infected BHK21 cells (A), from mock-infected (D) or Ad12-infected
(F) C131 cells, or from mock-infected (C) or Ad12-infected (E) HeLa
cells was prepared at 28 h p.i. and analyzed by the same
protocol.
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FIG. 7.
Identification of Ad12 DNA in the peak gradient
fractions. Peak 3H-labeled fractions from the alkaline
sucrose density gradients shown in Fig. 6 synthesized in Ad12-infected
HeLa cells (lane 1) or in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells that had previously
been transfected with the Ad12 E1A (lane 4), Ad2 E1A (lane 7), or Ad12
pTP (lane 10) construct, were isolated, neutralized with acetic acid,
ethanol precipitated, and analyzed by electrophoresis on a 0.7%
agarose gel followed by Southern blotting. 32P-labeled Ad12
DNA was used as a hybridization probe. Corresponding fractions from
mock-infected HeLa (lane 2) or BHK21 (lane 13) cells, from
untransfected, merely Ad12-infected BHK21 (lane 14) cells, or from
pEGFP-C1-transfected and subsequently Ad12-infected BHK21 (lane 12)
cells were coelectrophoresed. Purified Ad12 virion DNA was also
coelectrophoresed to identify authentic Ad12 DNA (lane 15). The
fractions preceding and following each of the peak fractions 16 in the
groups designated on the figure as BHK21/Ad12-E1A/Ad12 (lanes 3 and 5),
BHK21/Ad2-E1A/Ad12 (lanes 6 and 8), and BHK21/Ad12-pTP/Ad12 (lanes 9 and 11) were coelectrophoresed and shown to contain no Ad12 DNA
detectable at the film exposure time used here.
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|
The low levels of [
3H[thymidine incorporation
into cellular DNA in many of the experiments shown in Fig.
6 were
probably due
to the near confluent state of cells. Moreover, the
transfection
protocol might cause damage to the cellular DNA
replication machinery.
Upon Ad12 infection of permissive HeLa cells
(Fig.
6E), only 20%
of the number of cells used for the nonpermissive
hamster cells
(Fig.
6G to I) were lysed on top of the alkaline sucrose
gradients.
Hence, the viral DNA peak height in this experiment was at
the
level of complemented hamster
cells.
It is concluded that in BHK21 cells, which overexpress the pTP or the
E1A genes of Ad12 or the E1A genes of Ad2, Ad12 DNA
is capable of
replicating to unit-length Ad12 DNA molecules. Apparently,
in an
unaided Ad12 infection of BHK21 cells, the levels of essential
early
viral proteins, E1A and pTP, do not suffice to support Ad12
DNA
replication. The overexpression of the pTP gene of Ad12 alone
elicits
Ad12 DNA replication in this abortive cell system (Fig.
6G). Ad2 E1A
overexpression seems to be somewhat more effective
than the
overexpression of Ad12 E1A in stimulating Ad12 DNA synthesis
in BHK21
cells (compare Fig.
6H and
I).
The possibility has been considered that the incorporation of
[
3H]thymidine into full-length Ad12 DNA in E1A-
or pTP-transfected
BHK21 cells was due to repair synthesis. This
interpretation appears
very unlikely, because a comparison of the data
presented in Fig.
7, lanes 4, 7, and 10, demonstrated a substantial net
increase
in the amount of Ad12 DNA in the complemented systems (lanes
4,
7, and 10) compared to the trace amounts of parental Ad12 DNA
detectable in the noncomplemented BHK21-Ad12 system (lanes 12
and
14)
Immunoprecipitation of the newly synthesized Ad12 DNA with an
anti-Ad12 pTP serum.
Does the overexpressed Ad12 pTP in BHK21
cells actually function as the primer for Ad12 DNA replication and does
it remain bound to the newly synthesized Ad12 DNA? BHK21 cells were
transfected with one of the expression constructs and were then
infected with Ad12 (described above). Immunoprecipitation of the pTP or
TP protein presumably covalently bound to the newly synthesized Ad12
DNA was performed as described in Materials and Methods. HeLa or
complementing C131 cells infected with Ad12 were used as controls.
After the incubation of cell lysates with Ad12 pTP antiserum and
protein A-agarose, the immunoprecipitates were treated with proteinase K to release the Ad12 DNA from the Ad12 DNA-pTP (or TP)-Ad12-pTP antiserum-protein A-agarose complex. The supernatants were then analyzed by Southern dot blot hybridization for the presence of Ad12
DNA by using 32P-labeled Ad12 DNA as probe.
Substantial amounts of Ad12 DNA were immunoprecipitated by this
procedure from Ad12-infected HeLa or C131 cells (Fig.
8B4 or B2, respectively). When pTP
antiserum was not added to the extracts from Ad12-infected HeLa cells,
an Ad12 DNA-specific signal was not obtained (Fig. 8B5). Ad12 DNA previously treated with proteinase K was not precipitable by this protocol (data not shown). Ad12 DNA could also be immunoprecipitated from nonpermissive BHK21 cells previously transfected with the Ad12
E1A, Ad2 E1A, or Ad12 pTP constructs and subsequently infected with
Ad12 (Fig. 8A4, A5, and A6, respectively). The amounts of immunoprecipitated Ad12 DNA from BHK21 cells transfected with the Ad12
pTP or Ad2 E1A construct (Fig. 8A6 and A5, respectively) were
comparable to those from Ad12-infected C131 cells (Fig. 8B2). Markedly
less Ad12 DNA was immunoprecipitated from Ad12 E1A
construct-transfected BHK21 cells (Fig. 8A4). These data corroborate
the results on the de novo synthesis of Ad12 DNA in transfected BHK21
cells as documented by velocity sedimentation and Southern analyses
(Fig. 5 to 7). BHK21 cells transfected with Ad12 pTP or the Ad2 E1A constructs and, to a lesser degree with the Ad12 E1A construct, and
infected with Ad12 were capable of de novo synthesis of Ad12 DNA. In
mock-infected cells, Ad12 DNA was not detectable (Fig. 8A1, B1, and
B3).

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FIG. 8.
Immunoprecipitation of Ad12 DNA by an anti-Ad12 pTP
serum. Protein extracts from mock-infected BHK21 (A1), C131 (B1), or
HeLa (B3) cells, from Ad12-infected BHK21 (A2), C131 (B2), or HeLa (B4)
cells or from Ad12-infected BHK21 cells that had previously been
transfected with the pEGFP-C1 (A3), Ad12 E1A (A4), Ad2 E1A (A5), or
Ad12 pTP (A6) construct were immunoprecipitated with Ad12 pTP rabbit
polyclonal antibodies together with the protein A-agarose conjugate as
described in Materials and Methods. Protein extracts from Ad12-infected
HeLa cells incubated with the protein A-agarose conjugate, but without
addition of the Ad12 pTP antiserum (B5) or protein extracts from BHK21
cells transfected with Ad12 pTP and mock infected (B6) were negative
controls. After proteinase K treatment, the supernatants were analyzed
by Southern dot blot hybridization. 32P-labeled Ad12 DNA
was used as a probe. Purified Ad12 DNA that had been dot blotted, but
not subjected to immunoprecipitation, served as the positive control
(C1).
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Although the presence of parental Ad12 DNA could be documented by
Southern blotting in merely Ad12-infected BHK21 cells or
in BHK21 cells
transfected with the pEGFP-C1 vector and subsequently
infected with
Ad12 (Fig.
5 and
7), we could not detect any Ad12
DNA in protein
extracts isolated from these cells by immunoprecipitation
(Fig. 8A2 and
A3). The parental TP was likely degraded at 28 h
p.i. Moreover,
Ad12 pTP is produced in only tiny amounts in abortively
infected BHK21
cells.
The data presented in Fig.
8 demonstrate that pTP expressed in pTP- or
E1A-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells is covalently
bound to
the newly synthesized Ad12 DNA and functions in the initiation
of viral
DNA replication. Similar conclusions hold for Ad12 infections
in the
complementing system of C131 cells. In addition, the data
conclusively
argue against the possibility of repair synthesis
of Ad12 DNA in the
Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A-, or Ad2 E1A-transfected
and Ad12-infected BHK21
cells.
Enhanced transcription of the Ad12 pTP gene in Ad12-infected BHK21
cells that overexpress E1A proteins of Ad12 or Ad2.
The amount of
the Ad12 pTP protein in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells was markedly enhanced
upon transfection with the Ad12 E1A or the Ad2 E1A construct (Fig. 4B,
lanes 5 and 6). Does the overexpression of the E1A gene of Ad12 or of
Ad2 stimulate the transcription of the Ad12 pTP gene in Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells?
BHK21 cells were transfected with the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A
construct and subsequently infected with Ad12. The total
cellular RNA
was then analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR with specific
primers for the
Ad12 pTP and the control

-actin genes. RNAs from
mock- or
pEGFP-C1-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells and
RNAs from mock-
or Ad12-infected HeLa cells were used as controls.
During PCR, the DNA
was labeled with [
32P]dCTP and subsequently
fractionated by electrophoresis on a 4%
polyacrylamide gel followed by
phosphorimager analyses. The pTP-specific
RT-PCR products could first
be detected after 35 PCR cycles when
RNA from Ad12-infected BHK21 cells
was transcribed into cDNA and
amplified (data not shown). In mock- or
pEGFP-C1-transfected and
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, the intensity of
the RT-PCR pTP-specific
signals was about 25% of that in Ad12-infected
HeLa cells (Fig.
9, compare lanes 2, 3, and 8). Upon transfection with the Ad12
pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A
construct followed by Ad12 infection,
the intensities of the pTP
signals were increased to 100, 48,
and 80% (Fig.
9, lanes 4, 5, and 6, respectively) compared to
that in productively Ad12-infected HeLa cells
(Fig.
9, lane 8).
Apparently, the overexpression of the Ad12 or Ad2 E1A
construct
enhances the transcription of the pTP gene in Ad12-infected
BHK21
cells. The overexpression of the Ad2 E1A construct appears to
be
more effective in this respect.

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FIG. 9.
Enhanced expression of the Ad12 pTP gene in
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells that overexpress the E1A proteins of Ad12 or
Ad2. BHK21 cells were mock transfected (lane 2) or transfected with the
pEGFP-C1 (lane 3), Ad12 pTP (lane 4), Ad12 E1A (lane 5), orAd2 E1A
(lane 6) construct and infected with Ad12 18 h after transfection.
Total RNA was extracted at 24 h p.i. The total RNA from
mock-infected BHK21 cells (lane 1) or from mock-infected (lane 7) or
Ad12-infected (lane 8) HeLa cells was prepared at 24 h p.i.
One-hundred-nanogram amounts of total RNA were analyzed by quantitative
RT-PCR by using specific primers for the pTP gene of Ad12 and the
cellular -actin gene as described in Materials and Methods. Portions
of RT-PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis on a 4%
polyacrylamide gel followed by phosphorimager quantitation of the Ad12
pTP and -actin RT-PCR products. The sizes of DNA markers are
indicated on the left, and the positions of the Ad12 pTP and -actin
RT-PCR products are indicated on the right.
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The transcription of the Ad12 DBP or the Ad12 pol
gene remains unaltered in BHK21 cells transfected with the pTP or E1A
gene and infected with Ad12 as compared with merely Ad12-infected BHK21
cells.
In addition to Ad12 pTP, we have also analyzed by RT-PCR
the transcription of the Ad12-specific replication genes, the Ad12 DNA
binding protein (DBP), and the Ad12 DNA pol. BHK21 cells
were transfected with the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A construct and
subsequently infected with Ad12. The total cellular RNA was analyzed by
quantitative RT-PCR with specific primers for the Ad12 DBP and
-actin genes (Fig. 10A) or for the
Ad12 pol and
-actin genes (Fig. 10B). RNAs from mock- or
Ad12-infected BHK21, C131, or HeLa cells as well as RNAs from BHK21
cells transfected with the pEGFP-C1 and then infected with Ad12 were
used as controls. Details of the procedure are described in Materials
and Methods.

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FIG. 10.
RT-PCR analyses of the transcription of the Ad12 DBP
(A) or Ad12 pol (B) gene. BHK21 cells were transfected
with the pEGFP-C1 (lane 3), Ad12 pTP (lane 4), Ad12 E1A (lane 5), or
Ad2 E1A (lane 6) construct and infected with Ad12 18 h after
transfection. The total RNAs from mock- and Ad12-infected BHK21 (lanes
1 and 2, respectively in panels A and B), C131 (lanes 7 and 8 in panel
A, lanes 9 and 10 in B) or HeLa (lanes 9 and 10 in panel A, lanes 7 and
8 in panel B) cells as well as from transfected cells were prepared at
24 h p.i. One-hundred-nanogram amounts of RNA were subjected to
quantitative RT-PCR by using specific primers for the Ad12 DBP and the
cellular -actin genes (A) or for the Ad12 pol and
-actin genes (B) as described in Materials and Methods. RT-PCR
products were analyzed by electrophoresis on a 4% polyacrylamide gel
followed by autoradiography and phosphorimager quantitation of the Ad12
DBP or pol and -actin RT-PCR products. The sizes of
DNA markers are indicated on the left, and the positions of the Ad12
DBP, Ad12 pol, and -actin RT-PCR products are
indicated on the right.
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The Ad12 DBP gene was transcribed abundantly at 24 and 30 h p.i.
in all Ad12-infected cell types investigated. In particular,
there was
no difference in the transcription of the Ad12 DBP gene
between
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, BHK21 cells overexpressing
the Ad12 pTP or
E1A gene or the Ad2 E1A gene and subsequently
infected with Ad12, and
in Ad12-infected C131 or HeLa cells (Fig.
10A). Similar results were
obtained for the transcription of the
Ad12
pol gene, except
that transcription was low in all Ad12-infected
cell types analyzed
(Fig.
10B).
The late Ad12 gene functions are not expressed in BHK21 cells that
overexpress the pTP or E1A construct.
In Ad12-infected BHK21 cells
transfected with Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1A, pTP, but not the
mature form of TP, is produced (Fig. 4B), probably due to the lack of
the viral protease, which is a late viral gene product. We analyzed
protein extracts from transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells or from
Ad12-infected HeLa cells for the synthesis of the late viral fiber
protein by Western blotting with an antiserum against the Ad12 fiber
protein, which was readily detected with this assay in HeLa cells
28 h after productive infection with Ad12 (data not shown). In
extracts of Ad12-infected BHK21 cells or C131 cells, as well as in all transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, the synthesis of the late
fiber protein could not be demonstrated (data not shown). Even in the
presence of Ad12 DNA replication, then, the synthesis of late viral
proteins remained blocked in the abortive system.
Late Ad12-specific RNA synthesis was investigated with the RT-PCR
protocol by using specific primers for the L4 100K and L5
fiber genes.
During productive adenovirus infection, these late
genes, which were
encoded in the L4 and L5 regions, were transcribed
only late in the
infection cycle after the first rounds of adenovirus
DNA replication
(
12). Even after 40 cycles of PCR following
RT, we could
not detect Ad12 fiber-specific transcripts in BHK21
cells previously
transfected with the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2
E1A construct at
24 h p.i. with Ad12 (data not shown). At 30 h
p.i., trace
amounts of the fiber RT-PCR product were produced,
when total RNA from
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells overexpressing the
Ad2 E1A gene was used.
Similar results were obtained with RT-PCR
for the Ad12 100K-specific
RNA (data not shown). Only trace amounts
of 100K RT-PCR products were
detectable in BHK21 cells transfected
with pTP or E1A genes and then
infected with Ad12 at 30 h p.i.
(data not shown). Apparently, the
overproduction of the pTP or
E1A gene of Ad12 or of the E1A gene of
Ad2, which sufficed to
elicit Ad12 DNA replication, failed to stimulate
late Ad12 gene
transcription in BHK21 cells at a significant
level.
 |
DISCUSSION |
Although some of the early Ad12 genes are expressed in abortively
Ad12-infected BHK21 Syrian hamster cells at low levels, viral DNA
replication cannot be initiated. However, in the wake of the
overexpression of the Ad12 pTP gene or, less markedly, of the Ad12 E1A
gene upon transfection, Ad12 DNA replication becomes demonstrable
20 h after Ad12 infection of cells transfected with the HCMV
promoter-driven constructs. Transfection with the control plasmid
remains without effect on Ad12 DNA replication. Apparently, in merely
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, the levels of the E1A and/or pTP gene
products lie below a critical threshold that has to be surpassed to
facilitate viral DNA replication. In addition, the compartmental
distribution and concentrations of these proteins at the nuclear sites
of Ad12 DNA replication might remain insufficient for viral DNA
replication to proceed. Obviously, pTP overexpression by itself, in the
absence of high Ad12 E1A levels, is capable of triggering Ad12 DNA
synthesis in the nonpermissive cell environment (Fig. 5 to 7). The
overexpression of the transfected pTP gene does not increase the low
levels of E1A protein in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells (data not shown).
The initiation of Ad12 DNA replication in BHK21 cells, which
overexpress Ad12 pTP, is unlikely to be due to the availability of
sufficient levels of the E1A protein, which have not been increased in
comparison to those in BHK21 cells that have been merely infected with
Ad12. The overexpressed Ad12 pTP rather appears to have a decisive
function in initiating and maintaining Ad12 DNA replication. It is
conceivable, however, that the low levels of E1A protein available
under these conditions, although below the threshold levels by
themselves, cooperate with the above-threshold amounts of pTP and are
thus capable of turning on Ad12 DNA replication directly or indirectly.
Alternatively, Ad12 pTP may harbor new, previously unrecognized
capacities to promote Ad12 DNA replication independently of functional
E1A levels. It has been shown earlier that TP plays a role in the
association of adenovirus DNA with the nuclear matrix of the cell
(9, 24). Perhaps it is this aspect of Ad12 pTP function(s)
that helps overcome the replication block of Ad12 DNA in a
nonpermissive environment.
BHK21 cells, which overexpress the E1A genes of Ad12 or of Ad2, produce
sufficient amounts of Ad12 pTP upon Ad12 infection such that, in this
system, Ad12 DNA of full length can be synthesized in moderate amounts
(Fig. 6H and I, respectively). We propose that the overexpression of
the E1A genes of Ad12 or Ad2 facilitates Ad12 DNA replication in
nonpermissive BHK21 cells due to the activation of the Ad12 pTP gene.
Of course, additional viral and cellular factors may also be involved
in Ad12 DNA replication, and their production could also be influenced
by pTP or E1A overexpression. The Ad12 DNA synthesized in this Ad12
pTP-complemented BHK21 cell system (Fig. 6G, H, and I) behaves in zone
velocity sedimentation experiments like unit-length Ad12 DNA produced
in the fully permissive HeLa cell system (Fig. 6E). Moreover, the newly
synthesized viral DNA peak in BHK21 cells (Fig. 6G, H, and I) has been
unequivocally identified as Ad12 DNA (Fig. 7).
We have also shown that the de novo-synthesized Ad12 DNA in
Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, which overexpress the Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or
the Ad2 E1A construct, is bound to pTP (Fig. 8). This finding further
documents the requirement for pTP as a primer for Ad12 DNA replication.
Moreover, this experiment demonstrates true de novo synthesis of Ad12
DNA and eliminates the possibility of repair synthesis on parental Ad12
DNA in BHK21 hamster cells.
Upon Ad12 infection of BHK21 cells, which overexpress the transfected
Ad12 pTP or E1A gene or the Ad2 E1A gene, the transcription levels of
the Ad12 DBP gene or the Ad12 pol gene do not differ from
those in the merely Ad12-infected BHK21 cells. The DBP gene encoded by
the E2A transcription unit is abundantly transcribed both in
productively infected human cells and in all Ad12-infected hamster
cells analyzed, irrespective of pTP and/or E1A levels. In contrast, the
transcription of the E2B-encoded Ad12 pol gene is markedly
reduced, even in the productive system. In Ad12-infected BHK21 cells,
the E2B-encoded Ad12 pTP is only minimally expressed (Fig. 1). The
expression levels of the Ad12 pol gene in mock- or in pTP-
or E1A-transfected and Ad12-infected BHK21 cells remain low and are not
significantly different from those in Ad12-infected C131 cells. At
present, we cannot explain why the E2B-encoded Ad12 pTP and
pol genes are much less actively transcribed than the
E2A-encoded DBP gene.
Overexpression of the Ad12 pTP gene in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells
facilitates de novo Ad12 DNA synthesis in the BHK21 cell system, which
has proved totally nonpermissive for Ad12 DNA replication unless aided
by an above-threshold level of additionally supplied pTP from the E2B
region of Ad12 DNA. In these cells, two other functions of the E2
transcription units, DBP (E2A) and Ad12 polymerase (E2B), are not
augmented in transcriptional levels compared to merely Ad12-infected
BHK21 cells (Fig. 10). These findings further support the conclusion
that in Ad12-infected BHK21 cells, and possibly also in permissive
human cells, Ad12 pTP can play an autonomous role in facilitating viral
DNA replication.
In hamster BHK297-C131 cells, which carry in an integrated form and
constitutively express the E1A and E1B regions of Ad5 DNA
(33), Ad12 DNA replication and late viral transcription proceed to a certain extent (14, 15). However, late viral proteins are not synthesized in these cells, although the fiber mRNA,
which is produced in this complemented system, has been shown to have
the authentic nucleotide sequence, leaders, and poly(A) tails
(25). We have therefore proposed that, in addition to the
transcriptional and replicational blocks for Ad12 DNA, the translation
of late Ad12 mRNAs appears to be inhibited in hamster cells
(25). In keeping with this interpretation, the minute
amounts of late Ad12 mRNA synthesized in pTP- or E1A-transfected and
Ad12-infected cells also fail to be translated into detectable amounts
of late proteins like the fiber polypeptide as described in Results.
When comparing the results presented in this report with those
previously published in the Ad5-transformed BHK297-C131 cells, the
latter system markedly differs with respect to the higher transcriptional levels of the late Ad12-specific RNAs (14, 15, 25). Of course, the BHK297-C131 cells provide a constant supply of the constitutively transcribed E1 functions of Ad5 DNA, whereas the
transfection of the E1A- or pTP-carrying plasmids seems to allow only
the transient expression of limited amounts of the essential gene
products. As stated above, in the transfection experiments, only trace
amounts of late Ad12 RNAs are detectable. Perhaps, the transiently
expressed Ad12 pTP, Ad12 E1A, or Ad2 E1 functions are degraded late
after infection and/or are no longer functional to stimulate the late
transcription of Ad12 DNA.
Although unable to convert the BHK21-Ad12 system to a truly productive
cycle, we recognize the necessity in this system to safeguard
effectively against viral replication at many echelons to facilitate
viral DNA integration and oncogenic cell transformation, and thus to
secure the long-term, transgenerational persistence of the Ad12 genome
in hamster cells. The integrated Ad12 genome in transformed hamster
cells or in Ad12-induced tumor cells becomes de novo methylated in
specific patterns (for review, see reference 7).
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We thank P. Freimuth, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton,
N.Y., for providing rabbit anti-Ad12 fiber serum and R. Grand, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom, for a gift of
monoclonal antibodies against Ad12 E1A. We are indebted to Petra
Böhm for expert editorial work.
This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
through grants DO165/17-1 and SFB274-A1 and by the Wilhelm Sander
Stiftung, Munich, Germany.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut
für Genetik, Universität zu Köln, Weyertal 121, D-50931 Cologne, Germany. Phone: 49-221-470-2386. Fax: 49-221-470-5163. E-mail: doerfler{at}scan.genetik.uni-koeln.de.
Present address: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton
University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1014.
 |
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Journal of Virology, November 2001, p. 10041-10053, Vol. 75, No. 21
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.21.10041-10053.2001
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