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Journal of Virology, August 2003, p. 8765-8774, Vol. 77, No. 16
0022-538X/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.77.16.8765-8774.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Laboratory of Hepatitis and Related Emerging Agents, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892,1 Department of Biosciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm 14157, Sweden2
Received 23 December 2002/ Accepted 23 May 2003
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Wild-type HAV usually does not grow in cell culture. The virus was adapted to in vitro growth by serial passage in cell cultures of primate origin, which resulted in the establishment of persistent infections and attenuation (7, 8, 10, 12-14, 17, 30). HAV has also been adapted to growth in guinea pig, pig, and dolphin cell cultures (11), indicating that the cellular factors required for HAV replication are not restricted to primates.
Picornaviruses have different cell entry mechanisms. For instance, cellular receptors bind differently to a depression around the fivefold axis of poliovirus and the major group of rhinovirus (2, 18, 39) and induce conformational changes in the virions that result in the accumulation of 135S A particles and other uncoating intermediates (for a review, see reference 32). Foot-and-mouth disease virus binds to integrin receptors through an RGD motif present in the G-H loop of VP1 (21) without triggering the formation of A particles, enters the endosomes, and uncoats in the acidic environment of this compartment (28). Another interesting example of the cell entry mechanism diversity in the family Picornaviridae is that of the minor group of rhinovirus, which binds low-density lipoprotein receptors at the star-shaped dome on the fivefold axis rather than in the canyon (19) and are internalized into acidic endosomes for uncoating (33). Little is known about the cell entry mechanism of HAV, which cannot be inferred from other members of the family Picornaviridae because of the atypical characteristics of HAV and the diverse cell entry modes of members of the family. We have previously shown that HAV binds to a cell surface receptor identified in African green monkey kidney cells as HAV cellular receptor 1 (havcr-1) (24). Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that havcr-1 is a class I integral membrane glycoprotein with an extracellular domain containing an N-terminal immunoglobulin-like cysteine-rich region (D1), followed by a threonine-, serine-, and proline-rich region that most likely extends D1 well above the cell surface. havcr-1 and its human homolog huhavcr-1 are very similar and have HAV receptor function in common (16, 24).
Although the natural function of havcr-1 remains unknown, McIntire et al. (27) identified a family of murine orthologs of havcr-1, termed TIM, as asthma susceptibility genes. Interestingly, it has been shown that there is an inverse relationship between HAV infection and the development of atopy (25, 26), which could be explained by a modification of the Th2 response triggered by the HAV infection (37). Because the incidence of HAV infection is reduced in industrialized countries, these findings may explain the large increase in asthma prevalence in those countries over the last 20 years (27). Therefore, if the association between HAV infection and atopy is confirmed, the current practice of vaccinating children against HAV will need to be reassessed.
We previously showed that D1 and its first N-glycosylation site are required for binding of HAV (35) to havcr-1. We also showed that D1 fused to the hinge and Fc portions of human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), D1-Fc, binds and neutralizes HAV (34). However, our preliminary studies indicated that D1-Fc does not induce HAV conformational changes leading to uncoating of the viral genome. In this paper, we show that D1 plus the mucin-like region of havcr-1 fused to the hinge and Fc regions of human IgG1 (D1muc-Fc) neutralized HAV more efficiently than did D1-Fc and disrupted the viral particles. Electron microscopic (EM) analysis of negatively stained HAV showed that the altered particles had diffused edges and were internally stained, which is characteristic of altered particles. These results indicate that D1 and the mucin-like region of havcr-1 are required to induce alteration and uncoating of HAV.
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Murine IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 190/4, directed against havcr-1 (24), and M2, directed against the FLAG peptide DTKDDDDK (Kodak), were purified through affinity columns. Unlabeled human anti-HAV polyclonal antiserum was obtained from the HAVAB kit (Abbott Laboratories). Goat anti-human Fc antibodies, phosphatase-labeled goat anti-human IgG antibodies, phosphatase-labeled goat anti-mouse IgG antibodies, phosphatase-labeled goat anti-guinea pig IgG antibodies, and peroxidase-labeled rabbit anti-human Fc antibodies were used as suggested by the manufacturer (Kirkegaard & Perry Laboratories, Inc.).
Cells and viruses. Fetal rhesus monkey kidney (FRhK-4) cells were a gift of S. Emerson, National Institutes of Health. Cells were grown in monolayer cultures in Eagle's minimal essential medium (EMEM) supplemented with 10% horse serum.
Continuous clone GL37 of African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cells (36), termed AGMK GL37 cells, was grown in EMEM with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) at 37°C in a CO2 incubator.
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells deficient in the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr-) were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection and expanded in growth medium consisting of Iscove's medium containing 10% FBS and supplemented with 100 µM hypoxanthine and 16 µM thymidine (Sigma Chemical Co.). CHO cell transfectants expressing the hamster DHFR minigene were selected in Iscove's medium containing 10% dialyzed FBS with no supplement (selection medium).
Cell culture-adapted strain HM175 of HAV was derived from infectious cDNA (7), passaged approximately 100 times in BS-C-1 cells, and termed HAV PI. Virus stocks were prepared by growing HAV PI in FRhK-4 cells. After 10 days, culture supernatants were collected and clarified by centrifugation. Cell culture-adapted strain KRM003 of HAV, which we termed KRM003 HAV, was grown in GL37 cells (36).
A sucrose-purified cytopathic variant of cell culture-adapted strain HM175 of HAV (9), which we termed cytopathic HAV, was obtained from Viral Antigens, Inc.
HAV titer determination. Cytopathic HAV was titrated on 96-well plates containing confluent monolayers of FRhK-4 cells. Eight to 16 replicate wells were inoculated with 100 µl of 10-fold dilutions of HAV prepared in EMEM-10% FBS. Plates were incubated at 35°C for 10 days in a CO2 incubator. Cytopathic effect was assessed under a microscope, and viral titers were calculated by the method of Reed and Muench (31).
HAV PI was titrated by an endpoint assay in 96-well plates containing confluent monolayers of AGMK GL37 cells (34). Briefly, 8 to 16 replicate wells were inoculated with 100 µl of 10-fold dilutions of HAV and incubated at 35°C for 2 weeks in a CO2 incubator. Cells were fixed with 95% methanol, and HAV was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Wells that developed at least 2.5 times the color of uninfected control wells were considered positives, and viral titers were calculated by the Reed and Muench method (31).
Plasmids.
A plasmid coding for the Ig-like region and two-thirds of the mucin-like region of havcr-1 fused to the Fc and hinge fragments of human IgG1 (D1muc-Fc) was constructed and termed pEF-D1muc-Fc. The cDNA fragment coding for D1 in pEF-HAVcr-1D1flag (34) was replaced with a cDNA PCR fragment amplified from pDR2GL37/5 (24) coding for D1 plus two-thirds of the mucin-like region of havcr-1 (amino acids 1 to 281). The PCR was performed in 20 cycles with the Taq and Pwo DNA polymerases from the Expand High Fidelity PCR System (Roche Laboratories) as recommended by the manufacturer. Synthetic oligonucleotide D1/SalI (5'-CGGATACCCGTCGACATAATGCATCTTCAAGTGGTCATC-3'), coding for a SalI site before the initiation codon of havcr-1, followed by nucleotides 198 to 216 of the havcr-1 cDNA, was used as the positive-sense PCR primer. Synthetic oligonucleotide D1muc/flag/SpeI (5'-GGACTAGTACTCACCCTTGTCATCGTCGTCCTTGTAGTCGTCTGTTGAGAAGGTTGTTGTTGTTGAGACGGTTGCTGTTGGTAGCAAAGA-3'), containing an SpeI site, followed by an artificial splicing donor signal (GTGAGT), 24 nucleotides coding for the FLAG peptide DTKDDDDK, and nucleotides 1022 to 986 of the havcr-1 cDNA, was used as the negative-sense PCR primer. The unique band produced in the PCR was purified by Tris-acetate-EDTA-1% low-melting-point agarose gel electrophoresis, cut with SalI and SpeI, ligated into SalI/SpeI-cut and phosphatase-treated pEF-HAVcr-1D1flag, and used to transform Escherichia coli DH5
. The nucleotide sequence of a plasmid that had the expected restriction pattern of pEF-D1muc-Fc was verified with an ABI Prism automatic sequencer and the ABI Prism Dye terminator cycle-sequencing ready reaction kit (Perkin-Elmer Cetus, Inc.).
Production of soluble receptor forms. Expression and purification of immunoadhesins coding for the hinge and Fc portions of human IgG1 fused to D1 (D1-Fc) and the ectodomain of the poliovirus receptor (PVR-Fc) have been described previously (34). Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of D1-Fc and PVR-Fc compared to D1muc-Fc. D1muc-Fc was expressed in CHO cells as described for D1-Fc and PVR-Fc (34). Briefly, dhfr- CHO cell monolayers were cotransfected with 0.45 µg of pDHIP and 3.5 µg of pEF-D1muc-Fc with the Fugene6 reagent as recommended the manufacturer (Roche Laboratories). CHO cells were incubated for 14 days in selection medium consisting of Iscove's medium containing 10% FBS, and transfectants were cloned by endpoint dilution in 96-well plates. D1muc-Fc expressed in the supernatant of the CHO transfectants was assayed by capture ELISA in 96-well plates coated with goat anti-human Fc antibody and staining with peroxidase-labeled rabbit anti-human Fc conjugate. To produce higher levels of secreted soluble receptor, clones expressing D1muc-Fc were treated with increasing concentrations of methotrexate to a maximum of 5 µM. To purify D1muc-Fc, CHO cell transfectants expressing the highest levels of the soluble receptor were grown in 2,100-cm2 hollow-fiber bioreactors (FiberCell Systems Inc.) at 37°C in a CO2 incubator. Bioreactors were inoculated with 2 x 108 cells and grown in selection medium containing 5 µM methotrexate and 2% dialyzed FBS. Lactic acid production rates in the culture medium were monitored every day. The medium from the extracapillary space (60 ml) containing the soluble receptor was harvested every 2 days. D1muc-Fc was purified from 250 ml of medium by affinity chromatography with a 2-ml column of Affi-Gel protein A-agarose (Bio-Rad Laboratories) as recommended by the manufacturer. D1muc-Fc was eluted at pH 3 in 20 1-ml fractions that were neutralized with 300 µl of 1 M Tris-HCl (pH 9.0) per fraction. Fractions containing D1muc-Fc were identified by dot blot analysis staining with phosphatase-labeled anti-human Fc antibodies. Eluted fractions were also analyzed by SDS-PAGE with Novex Tris-glycine-4 to 20% polyacrylamide gels (Invitrogen) and staining with Coomassie blue.
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FIG. 1. Schematic representation of immunoadhesins D1-Fc, D1muc-Fc, and PVR-Fc. D1-Fc contains the cysteine-rich region of havcr-1 (D1) tagged at the N terminus with peptide DTKDDDDK (FLAG) and fused to the hinge and Fc regions of human IgG1 (34). PVR-Fc contains the ectodomain of pvr, the poliovirus receptor, with its three Ig-like domains (V1, C1, and C2) fused to the hinge and Fc regions of human IgG1 (34). To construct D1muc-Fc, D1 and two-thirds of the mucin-like region were tagged at the N terminus with the FLAG peptide and fused to the hinge and Fc regions of human IgG1. The fusion proteins form homodimers linked by the Fc disulfide bonds.
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Neutralization assays. HAV PI (105 50% tissue culture infective doses [TCID50]) was incubated with 50 µg of purified D1-Fc, D1muc-Fc, or PVR-Fc overnight at 4°C in 500 µl of EMEM-10% FBS. Tenfold dilutions of the neutralization reaction mixtures were titrated in 96-well plates containing confluent monolayers of AGMK GL37 cells. Each dilution was inoculated in 8 to16 wells, and the virus was adsorbed for 4 h at 37°C in a CO2 incubator. After washing three times with EMEM, 200 µl of EMEM-10% FBS was added per well and the plates were incubated at 35°C under CO2 for 10 days. Cells were fixed with 90% methanol, and HAV titers were determined by ELISA (34).
To determine the specificity of the soluble-receptor-mediated neutralization of HAV, 10 µg of purified D1muc-Fc or PVR-Fc was treated with 30 µg of MAb 190/4 or control MAb M2 for 2 h at 4°C, followed by the addition of 105 TCID50 of cytopathic HAV and further overnight incubation at 4°C. Confluent monolayers of FRhK-4 cells in 96-well plates were inoculated with 100 µl of 10-fold dilutions of the neutralization reaction mixtures per well. Each dilution was inoculated into 32 wells, and the plates were incubated for 4 h at 37°C. After washing three times with EMEM, 200 µl of EMEM-10% FBS was added per well and the plates were incubated at 35°C under CO2 for 10 days. Cytopathic effect was assessed under a microscope, and viral titers were calculated by the method of Reed and Muench (31).
Sedimentation analysis of HAV particles. HAV virions were purified by sedimentation in linear 15 to 30% sucrose gradients with a Beckman SW41 rotor at 4°C for 100 min at 40,000 rpm. Gradients were collected from the bottom in 20 fractions of 0.5 ml each, and HAV was detected by ELISA (34). The 160S virion peak was pooled and stored at -70°C. Sucrose-purified HAV virions were treated with different amounts of PVR-Fc or D1muc-Fc and analyzed by ultracentrifugation in 15 to 30% sucrose gradients as indicated above. To minimize the loss of material, incubation of HAV with soluble receptors was done in siliconized tubes. Under these experimental conditions, we observed a consistent loss of about 30% of the material. This sedimentation analysis was repeated at least three times with similar results. Alternatively, fractions were immunoprecipitated with rabbit anti-HAV antibodies. Seventy microliters of MagnaBind goat anti-rabbit IgG beads (Pierce) was incubated for 2 h at 4°C with 2 µl of rabbit anti-HAV antibodies, 500 µl of each sucrose gradient fraction, and 600 µl of PBL buffer (0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS], 1% sodium deoxycholate, 1% Triton X-100, 0.05% sodium azide). After extensive washing, immunoprecipitated proteins were analyzed by Western blotting and developed with a 1:2,000 dilution of guinea pig anti-HAV antibody and a 1:1,000 dilution of phosphatase-labeled goat anti-guinea pig IgG antibody.
35S-labeled poliovirus (22) was used as a sedimentation marker, and 160S virions and 80S empty particles were identified by scintillation counting.
Quantitative RT-PCR. To quantitate the HAV RNA in each sucrose gradient fraction, 10 µl of each fraction was diluted with 200 µl of water and boiled for 5 min to release the viral RNA and 10 µl of the sample was used for reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. To quantitate the HAV RNA in pooled fractions, RNA was extracted with phenol and precipitated with ethanol. HAV RNA was quantitated by TaqMan with the Platinum Quantitative RT-PCR ThermoScript one-step RT-PCR system as suggested by the manufacturer (Invitrogen). A 0.2 µM concentration of HAV positive-sense primer 5'-GGCATTTAGGTTTTTCCTCATTCTTA-3', corresponding to nucleotides 685 to 710, and negative-sense primer 5'-AATGTCTGCCAAAGACAGGATGT-3', corresponding to HAV nucleotides 770 to 792, was used in the PCR. To detect the amplification product, 10 µM HAV fluorogenic probe [5'-(6FAM)CAAGGTATTTTCCAGACTGTTGGGAGTGGTCT(TAMRA)-3'], corresponding to nucleotides 733 to 764, was added to the PCR mixture. The incubation conditions used were 30 min at 50°C (RT), 10 min at 95°C, and 40 cycles of 15 s at 95°C and 1 min at 60°C (amplification reaction). Full-length HAV RNA transcribed from linearized pT7HAV was synthesized with T7 RNA polymerase (40) and used as the standard for the quantitative PCR.
Analysis of HAV particles by EM. Fractions from five replicate 15 to 30% sucrose gradients containing cytopathic HAV treated with D1muc-Fc were pooled and concentrated with Centricon 30 (Amicon) to a final volume of 50 µl. HAV treated with PVR-Fc and sedimented in a parallel 15 to 30% sucrose gradient was used as a control. Samples (3 µl) of pooled fractions were mounted on carbon-coated copper grids and stained with 2% uranyl acetate for 15 s. After being rinsed with water, samples were examined at a magnification of x45,000 in a Philips CM120 electron microscope. Alternatively, sucrose-purified KRM003 HAV virions were treated with 30 µg of D1muc-Fc for 10, 30, or 60 min, mounted on grids directly without sedimentation, stained as indicated above, and examined under the electron microscope at a magnification of x17,000.
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FIG. 2. Expression of immunoadhesins in CHO cells. (A) The immunoadhesins D1-Fc, D1muc-Fc, and PVR-Fc were purified with protein A columns. The eluted immunoadhesins were analyzed by denaturing SDS-PAGE in 4 to 20% polyacrylamide gels and stained with Coomassie blue. The arrow points to the fully glycosylated form of D1-Fc. (B) Protein A-purified D1muc-Fc (lanes 1 and 4), PVR-Fc (lanes 2 and 5), and D1-Fc (lanes 3 and 6) were analyzed by denaturing SDS-PAGE in a 4 to 20% polyacrylamide gel, transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, and probed with anti-FLAG MAb M2 (lanes 1 to 3) or anti-human Fc antibodies (lanes 4 to 6). The positions of prestained molecular size markers and their sizes in kilodaltons are shown.
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FIG. 3. Neutralization of HAV by soluble receptors. HAV PI (105 TCID50) was neutralized with 50 µg of purified D1-Fc, D1muc-Fc, or PVR-Fc overnight at 4°C. Residual infectious HAV was titrated by endpoint dilution in 96-well plates containing confluent monolayers of GL37 cells. HAV titers were determined by ELISA. Values are the log10 of the HAV titers determined by the Reed and Muench method (31), and the standard deviations are shown as error bars.
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FIG. 4. Inhibition of D1muc-Fc-mediated neutralization of HAV by protective MAb 190/4. Equal amounts (10 µg) of D1muc-Fc and PVR-Fc were treated with 30 µg of MAb 190/4 or control MAb M2 for 2 h at 4°C and then incubated with 105 TCID50 of cytopathic HAV. Residual infectious HAV was titrated by endpoint dilution in 96-well plates containing FRhK-4 cells. The cytopathic effect was visualized under a microscope at 10 days postinfection. The values shown are the log10 of the HAV titers determined by the Reed and Muench method (31), and the standard deviations are shown as error bars.
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FIG. 5. Sedimentation analysis of HAV treated with soluble receptors. (A) Purified cytopathic HAV virions were incubated with 50 µg of PVR-Fc, D1-Fc, or D1muc-Fc for 2 h at 37°C and loaded onto linear 15 to 30% sucrose gradients. After ultracentrifugation at 4°C for 100 min with an SW40 rotor at 40,000 rpm, gradients were collected from the bottom in 20 fractions. HAV antigen in the fractions was determined by capture ELISA. The data shown are mean results from duplicate wells; duplicate values varied by less than 10%. (B) Aliquots (10 µl) of each fraction from a gradient similar to that shown in panel A were diluted in 200 µl of water and boiled, and 10 µl was used as a template with which to quantitate HAV RNA with a one-step real-time TaqMan RT-PCR assay. In vitro-synthesized full-length HAV RNA was used as the standard for the quantitative PCR. The data shown are mean results from triplicate reactions. (C) HAV virions were incubated with increasing amounts of D1muc-Fc (0.2, 2, 10, and 20 µg) for 2 h at 37°C and analyzed through 15 to 30% sucrose gradients as indicated above. The data shown are mean results from duplicate wells, and the standard deviations are shown as error bars. (D) A finer titration of the amount of D1muc-Fc (0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 µg) needed to disrupt HAV particles was done with the same conditions described for panel C. Poliovirus native virions and empty particles labeled with [35S]methionine were used as 160S and 80S sedimentation markers. The top and bottom of the gradients are indicated. OD, optical density.
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To further characterize the interaction of HAV with D1muc-Fc, virions were incubated with different amounts of D1muc-Fc for 2 h at 37°C and sedimented in 15 to 30% sucrose gradients (Fig. 5C). Treatment of HAV with 0.2 µg (0.002 µM) of D1muc-Fc did not affect the sedimentation profile of the virions, whereas treatment with 2 µg (0.02 µM), 10 µg (0.1 µM), and 20 µg (0.2 µM) of D1muc-Fc disrupted the majority of the 160S HAV particles. Interestingly, treatment of HAV with 10 µg (0.1 µM) of D1muc-Fc resulted in low-level accumulation of 100- to 125S particles (fractions 10 to 12). To determine whether D1muc-Fc induced the disruption of HAV particles in a concentration-dependent manner, we performed a finer titration between 0.2 and 2 µg of soluble receptor under the same experimental conditions (Fig. 5D). The level of disrupted HAV particles was proportional to the amount of D1muc-Fc used in the reaction mixture, with intermediate disruption levels observed at 0.5 and 1 µg of soluble receptor. It should be pointed out that the low-level absorbance in fractions 17 to 20 at the top of the gradients, which was less than two times the background level, was not due to HAV antigens from disrupted particles since gradients containing only soluble-receptor preparations gave similar absorbance levels (data not shown). Our data clearly show that D1muc-Fc induced the disruption of HAV particles in a concentration-dependent manner.
Characterization of the 100- to 125S particles by Western blotting and TaqMan analysis. The 100- to 125S particles were further characterized by Western blot analysis. HAV was treated with 10 µg of D1muc-Fc or PVR-Fc and analyzed in sucrose gradients as indicated above (Fig. 6A). Fractions 4 to 20 of the gradients were immunoprecipitated with rabbit anti-HAV antibodies and subjected to Western blot analysis with staining with guinea pig anti-HAV antibodies (Fig. 6B). VP1 was detected in fractions 5 to 10 of the PVR-Fc gradient, which correlated with the peak of 160S particles detected by ELISA. Low levels of VP1 were detected in fractions 4 to 10 of the D1muc-Fc gradient, which may represent undisrupted residual 160S particles. VP1 bands were also observed in fractions 11 to 15 of the D1muc-Fc gradient, reaching a maximum level in fraction 13, which correlated with the peak of 100- to 125S particles detected by ELISA. We did not detect capsid subunits resulting from disruption of the viral particles at the top of the gradient, which agrees with our previous observation pointing to the instability of the viral subunits or their lack of reaction with the antibodies used in the assay. These data clearly indicate that the 100- to 125S particles were indeed HAV particles that most likely were altered by treatment with D1muc-Fc.
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FIG. 6. Western blot analysis of 100- to 125S HAV particles. (A) Purified cytopathic HAV virions were treated with 10 µg of D1muc-Fc or PVR-Fc and sedimented through 15 to 30% sucrose gradients at 4°C for 90 min with an SW40 rotor at 40,000 rpm. Gradients were collected from the bottom in 20 fractions. HAV antigen in the fractions was determined by capture ELISA. (B) Fractions 4 to 20 of the gradients were incubated with rabbit anti-HAV antibodies and magnetic beads coated with anti-rabbit IgG for 2 h at 4°C. After extensive washing, the beads were boiled in denaturing buffer and proteins were studied by Western blot analysis with staining with guinea pig anti-HAV antibodies and phosphatase-labeled goat anti-guinea pig antibodies. The arrows point to the VP1 structural protein of HAV. The top and bottom of the gradients are indicated. OD, optical density.
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FIG. 7. Quantification of HAV RNA in 100- to 125S particles. (A) Purified HAV virions were incubated with 10 µg of D1muc-Fc or PVR-Fc for 2 h at 37°C and analyzed through 15 to 30% sucrose gradients as described in the legend to Fig. 6. Fractions containing HAV particles (4 to 6 and 10 to 12) were pooled, and RNA was extracted, ethanol precipitated, and quantitated with a one-step real-time TaqMan RT-PCR assay. In vitro-synthesized full-length HAV RNA was used as the standard for the quantitative PCR. The data shown are mean results from triplicate reactions. Standard deviations are shown as error bars. Poliovirus particles labeled with [35S]methionine were used as 160S and 80S sedimentation markers. The top and bottom of the gradient are indicated. (B) TaqMan amplification plot of each triplicate reaction used to calculate the mean number of HAV genome equivalents in panel A. The Rn (increment of fluorescence reporter signal) for each sample was plotted against the cycle number. OD, optical density.
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FIG. 8. Negative-stain EM analysis of HAV particles. HAV was incubated with 10 µg of D1muc-Fc or PVR-Fc for 2 h at 37°C and analyzed through 15 to 30% sucrose gradients as described in the legend to Fig. 6. Fractions containing the 100- to 125S particles from five D1muc-Fc sucrose gradients were pooled and concentrated. Fractions containing 160S and 80S HAV particles from one PVR-Fc sucrose gradient were pooled and concentrated. HAV virions (A), empty capsids (B), and 100- to 125S particles (C) were bound to grids, stained with 2% uranyl acetate, and analyzed by EM at a magnification of x45,000. Purified KRM003 HAV virions were treated with 30 µg of D1muc-Fc for 10 (D), 30 (E), and 60 (F) min, stained directly without sedimentation, and analyzed by EM at a magnification of x17,000. Bars: A, B, and C, 30 nm; D, E, and F, 100 nm.
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Uncoating intermediates have been isolated and characterized for some picornaviruses (for a review, see reference 32) but not for HAV. A particles, postulated as uncoating intermediates in some picornaviruses such as poliovirus and rhinovirus but not foot-and-mouth disease virus, have not been found in HAV (4). However, dense particles that cosediment with 160S virions but are permeable to CsCl and sensitive to RNases, have been postulated as HAV uncoating intermediates (4 and references therein). The relationship between the HAV dense particles and the 100- to 125S particles described in this paper is unknown, and it will be interesting to determine whether the dense particles are precursors to the 100- to 125S particles. Under our experimental conditions, 10 nM D1muc-Fc disrupted almost all HAV virions and resulted in low-level accumulation of 100- to 125S HAV particles (Fig. 5 and 6) that are associated with viral RNA (Fig. 7). This accumulation of the 100- to 125S particles seems to be dependent on the concentration of D1muc-Fc. However, it is not clear why the 100- to 125S particles are preferentially accumulated when 10 µg of D1muc-Fc is used in the reaction mixture. The conditions and requirements for the alteration of HAV and accumulation of the 100- to 125S particles, such as temperature, pH, and the presence of monovalent and divalent cations, are unknown but are under investigation. EM analysis showed that negative stain penetrated the 100- to 125S particles (Fig. 8), which is characteristic of altered virions. It is tantalizing to speculate that these 100- to 125S particles represent uncoating intermediates of HAV. Further research is required to determine whether the 100- to 125S particles are truly uncoating intermediates. The data presented in this paper will help in the development of a model of cell entry by HAV.
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vß3 in vitro. J. Virol. 71:8357-8361.
vß6 in infection of foot-and-mouth disease virus. J. Virol. 75:4158-4164.
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