Taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maes, Piet; Alkhovsky, Sergey V.; Bào, Yīmíng; Beer, Martin; Birkhead, Monica; Briese, Thomas; Buchmeier, Michael J.; Calisher, Charles H.; Charrel, Rémi N.; Choi, Il Ryong; Clegg, Christopher S.; Torre, de la Juan Carlos; Delwart, Eric; DeRisi, Joseph L.; Bello, Di Patrick L.; Serio, Di Francesco; Digiaro, Michele; Dolja, Valerian V.; Drosten, Christian; Druciarek, Tobiasz Z.; Du, Jiang; Ebihara, Hideki; Elbeaino, Toufic; Gergerich, Rose C.; Gillis, Amethyst N.; Gonzalez, Jean Paul J.; Haenni, Anne Lise; Hepojoki, Jussi; Hetzel, Udo; Hồ, Thiện; Hóng, Ní; Jain, Rakesh K.; Jansen van Vuren, Petrus; Jin, Qi; Jonson, Miranda Gilda; Junglen, Sandra; Keller, Karen E.; Kemp, Alan; Kipar, Anja; Kondov, Nikola O.; Koonin, Eugene V.; Kormelink, Richard; Korzyukov, Yegor; Krupovic, Mart; Lambert, Amy J.; Laney, Alma G.; LeBreton, Matthew; Lukashevich, Igor S.; Marklewitz, Marco; Markotter, Wanda; Martelli, Giovanni P.; Martin, Robert R.; Mielke-Ehret, Nicole; Mühlbach, Hans Peter; Navarro, Beatriz; Ng, Terry Fei Fan; Nunes, Márcio Roberto Teixeira; Palacios, Gustavo; Pawęska, Janusz T.; Peters, Clarence J.; Plyusnin, Alexander; Radoshitzky, Sheli R.; Romanowski, Víctor; Salmenperä, Pertteli; Salvato, Maria S.; Sanfaçon, Hélène; Sasaya, Takahide; Schmaljohn, Connie; Schneider, Bradley S.; Shirako, Yukio; Siddell, Stuart; Sironen, Tarja A.; Stenglein, Mark D.; Storm, Nadia; Sudini, Harikishan; Tesh, Robert B.; Tzanetakis, Ioannis E.; Uppala, Mangala; Vapalahti, Olli; Vasilakis, Nikos; Walker, Peter J.; Wáng, Guópíng; Wáng, Lìpíng; Wáng, Yànxiăng; Wèi, Tàiyún; Wiley, Michael R.; Wolf, Yuri I.; Wolfe, Nathan D.; Wú, Zhìqiáng; Xú, Wénxìng; Yang, Li; Yāng, Zuòkūn; Yeh, Shyi Dong; Zhāng, Yǒng Zhèn; Zhèng, Yàzhōu; Zhou, Xueping; Zhū, Chénxī; Zirkel, Florian; Kuhn, Jens H.

2018-01-01

In 2018, the family Arenaviridae was expanded by inclusion of 1 new genus and 5 novel species. At the same time, the recently established order Bunyavirales was expanded by 3 species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales as now accepted by

Taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales: update 2018.

Science.gov (United States)

Maes, Piet; Alkhovsky, Sergey V; Bào, Yīmíng; Beer, Martin; Birkhead, Monica; Briese, Thomas; Buchmeier, Michael J; Calisher, Charles H; Charrel, Rémi N; Choi, Il Ryong; Clegg, Christopher S; de la Torre, Juan Carlos; Delwart, Eric; DeRisi, Joseph L; Di Bello, Patrick L; Di Serio, Francesco; Digiaro, Michele; Dolja, Valerian V; Drosten, Christian; Druciarek, Tobiasz Z; Du, Jiang; Ebihara, Hideki; Elbeaino, Toufic; Gergerich, Rose C; Gillis, Amethyst N; Gonzalez, Jean-Paul J; Haenni, Anne-Lise; Hepojoki, Jussi; Hetzel, Udo; Hồ, Thiện; Hóng, Ní; Jain, Rakesh K; Jansen van Vuren, Petrus; Jin, Qi; Jonson, Miranda Gilda; Junglen, Sandra; Keller, Karen E; Kemp, Alan; Kipar, Anja; Kondov, Nikola O; Koonin, Eugene V; Kormelink, Richard; Korzyukov, Yegor; Krupovic, Mart; Lambert, Amy J; Laney, Alma G; LeBreton, Matthew; Lukashevich, Igor S; Marklewitz, Marco; Markotter, Wanda; Martelli, Giovanni P; Martin, Robert R; Mielke-Ehret, Nicole; Mühlbach, Hans-Peter; Navarro, Beatriz; Ng, Terry Fei Fan; Nunes, Márcio Roberto Teixeira; Palacios, Gustavo; Pawęska, Janusz T; Peters, Clarence J; Plyusnin, Alexander; Radoshitzky, Sheli R; Romanowski, Víctor; Salmenperä, Pertteli; Salvato, Maria S; Sanfaçon, Hélène; Sasaya, Takahide; Schmaljohn, Connie; Schneider, Bradley S; Shirako, Yukio; Siddell, Stuart; Sironen, Tarja A; Stenglein, Mark D; Storm, Nadia; Sudini, Harikishan; Tesh, Robert B; Tzanetakis, Ioannis E; Uppala, Mangala; Vapalahti, Olli; Vasilakis, Nikos; Walker, Peter J; Wáng, Guópíng; Wáng, Lìpíng; Wáng, Yànxiăng; Wèi, Tàiyún; Wiley, Michael R; Wolf, Yuri I; Wolfe, Nathan D; Wú, Zhìqiáng; Xú, Wénxìng; Yang, Li; Yāng, Zuòkūn; Yeh, Shyi-Dong; Zhāng, Yǒng-Zhèn; Zhèng, Yàzhōu; Zhou, Xueping; Zhū, Chénxī; Zirkel, Florian; Kuhn, Jens H

2018-04-21

In 2018, the family Arenaviridae was expanded by inclusion of 1 new genus and 5 novel species. At the same time, the recently established order Bunyavirales was expanded by 3 species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and summarizes additional taxonomic proposals that may affect the order in the near future.

Laboratory acquired infection by the virus SP H 114202 (Arenavirus: Arenaviridae: clinical and laboratory findings Infecção humana adquirida em laboratório causada pelo virus SP H 114202 (Arenavirus: família Arenaviridae: aspectos clínicos e laboratoriais

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Fernando da Costa Vasconcelos

1993-12-01

Full Text Available Here in is described the clinical and laboratorial findings of a laboratory-acquired infection caused by the virus SP H 114202 (Arenavirus, family Arenaviridae a recently discovered agent responsible for a viral hemorrhagic fever. The patient was sick for 13 days. The disease had an abrupt onset characterized by high fever (39ºC., headache, chills and myalgias for 8 days. In addition, on the 3rd day, the patient developed nauseas and vomiting, and in the 10th, epigastralgia, diarrheia and gengivorrhagia. Leucopenia was seen within the 1 st week of onset, with counts as low as 2,500 white cells per mm³. Counts performed after the 23th day of the onset were within normal limits. With the exception of moderate lymphocitosis, no changes were observed in differential counts. An increase in the liter of antibodies by complement fixation, neutralization and ELISA (IgM was detected. Suckling mice and baby hamsters were inoculated intracerebrally with 0.02 ml of blood samples collected in the 2nd and 7th days of disease. Attempts to isolate the virus were also made in Vero cells. No virus was isolated. This virus was isolated before in a single occasion in São Paulo State, in 1990, from the blood of a patient with hemorrhagic fever with a fatal outcome. The manipulation of the virus under study, must be done carefully, since the transmission can occur through aerosols.São descritos os achados clínico-laboratoriais da infecção acidental pelo virus SP H 114202 (Arenavirus, família Arenaviridae, um virus novo causador de febre hemorrágica humana. O paciente, técnico de laboratório, apresentou quadro febril por 13 dias. A doença cursou com febre elevada ( 39ºC. diária, cefaléia, calefrios e mialgias por 8 dias. A partir do 3º dia surgiram náuseas, vômitos alimentares e anorexia e no 10º dia, epigastralgia, diarréia e gengivorragia. Laboratorialmente, foram observadas as seguintes alterações: leucopenia gradativa com linfocitose a medida

Arenaviridae

Science.gov (United States)

... these human pathogenic viruses were Guanarito detected in Venezuela in 1989, Sabia in Brazil in 1993, Chapare ... Watch RSS ABOUT About CDC Jobs Funding LEGAL Policies Privacy FOIA No Fear Act OIG 1600 Clifton ...

Possibility and Challenges of Conversion of Current Virus Species Names to Linnaean Binomials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Postler, Thomas S.; Clawson, Anna N.; Amarasinghe, Gaya K.; Basler, Christopher F.; Bavari, Sbina; Benkő, Mária; Blasdell, Kim R.; Briese, Thomas; Buchmeier, Michael J.; Bukreyev, Alexander; Calisher, Charles H.; Chandran, Kartik; Charrel, Rémi; Clegg, Christopher S.; Collins, Peter L.; Juan Carlos, De La Torre; Derisi, Joseph L.; Dietzgen, Ralf G.; Dolnik, Olga; Dürrwald, Ralf; Dye, John M.; Easton, Andrew J.; Emonet, Sébastian; Formenty, Pierre; Fouchier, Ron A. M.; Ghedin, Elodie; Gonzalez, Jean-Paul; Harrach, Balázs; Hewson, Roger; Horie, Masayuki; Jiāng, Dàohóng; Kobinger, Gary; Kondo, Hideki; Kropinski, Andrew M.; Krupovic, Mart; Kurath, Gael; Lamb, Robert A.; Leroy, Eric M.; Lukashevich, Igor S.; Maisner, Andrea; Mushegian, Arcady R.; Netesov, Sergey V.; Nowotny, Norbert; Patterson, Jean L.; Payne, Susan L.; PaWeska, Janusz T.; Peters, Clarence J.; Radoshitzky, Sheli R.; Rima, Bertus K.; Romanowski, Victor; Rubbenstroth, Dennis; Sabanadzovic, Sead; Sanfaçon, Hélène; Salvato, Maria S.; Schwemmle, Martin; Smither, Sophie J.; Stenglein, Mark D.; Stone, David M.; Takada, Ayato; Tesh, Robert B.; Tomonaga, Keizo; Tordo, Noël; Towner, Jonathan S.; Vasilakis, Nikos; Volchkov, Viktor E.; Wahl-Jensen, Victoria; Walker, Peter J.; Wang, Lin-Fa; Varsani, Arvind; Whitfield, Anna E.; Zerbini, F. Murilo; Kuhn, Jens H.

2016-10-22

Botanical, mycological, zoological, and prokaryotic species names follow the Linnaean format, consisting of an italicized Latinized binomen with a capitalized genus name and a lower case species epithet (e.g., Homo sapiens). Virus species names, however, do not follow a uniform format, and, even when binomial, are not Linnaean in style. In this thought exercise, we attempted to convert all currently official names of species included in the virus family Arenaviridae and the virus order Mononegavirales to Linnaean binomials, and to identify and address associated challenges and concerns. Surprisingly, this endeavor was not as complicated or time-consuming as even the authors of this article expected when conceiving the experiment. [Arenaviridae; binomials; ICTV; International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses; Mononegavirales; virus nomenclature; virus taxonomy.

Early markers of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis activation in Argentine hemorrhagic fever

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heller, M. V.; Marta, R. F.; Sturk, A.; Maiztegui, J. I.; Hack, C. E.; Cate, J. W.; Molinas, F. C.

1995-01-01

Junin virus, an arenaviridae, is the etiological agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever. In addition to thrombocytopenia, patients present several alterations in both the blood coagulation and the fibrinolytic system, but diffuse intravascular coagulation could not be demonstrated. To investigate

Research in Drug Development against Viral Diseases of Military Importance (Biological Testing). Volume 1

Science.gov (United States)

1991-03-01

Rhabdoviridae family. Vaccinia Virus is currently employed as a representation of the DNA Virus (Poxviridae). This agent poses a threat to the military...Arenaviridae, Rhabdoviridae , Poxviridae, Adenoviridae and Retroviridae families. The test viruses consist of the following: (1) Vaccinia (VV) Virus, (2

History of U.S. Military Contributions to the Study of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

Science.gov (United States)

2005-04-01

disease. Death has been observed in 33.9% of cases. Hepatorenal failure, shock, and severe anemia were all factors associated with death.^’" U.S...Allpahuayo virus; a newly recognized arenavirus (Arenaviridae) from arboreal rice rats [Oecomys bicolorand Oecomys parico(a) in northeastern Peru . Virology

World Reference Center for Arboviruses

Science.gov (United States)

1994-06-07

Rodriguez, S.C., Tesh, R., Travassos da Rosa, J.F.S., and Travassos da Rosa, E.S. Infeccao humana adquirida in laboratorio causada pelo virus SPH 114202...Arenavirus: familia Arenaviridae): Aspectos clinicos e laboratoriais. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo 35:521-525, 1993. Vodkin, M.H., McLaughlin, G.L

The Use of Coarse Resolution Satellite Imagery to Predict Human Puumala Virus Epidemics in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-09-11

Arenaviridae LASSA FEVER Lassa 36%(hosp) 10-30X hosp ARGENTINE HF Junin 5-30% 3C-6C/yr 12% 5% BOLIVIAN HF Machapo up to 24% low ARTHROPOD-BORNE HF TOGA...common and widely distributed mammalian species in Europe and Asia. As a result, a very large set of data has been collected on the ecology of this species

Possibility and challenges of conversion of current virus species names to Linnaean binomials

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Postler; Clawson, Anna N.; Amarasinghe, Gaya K.; Basler, Christopher F.; Bavari, Sina; Benko, Maria; Blasdell, Kim R.; Briese, Thomas; Buchmeier, Michael J.; Bukreyev, Alexander; Calisher, Charles H.; Chandran, Kartik; Charrel, Remi; Clegg, Christopher S.; Collins, Peter L.; De la Torre, Juan Carlos; DeRisi, Joseph L.; Dietzgen, Ralf G.; Dolnik, Olga; Durrwald, Ralf; Dye, John M.; Easton, Andrew J.; Emonet, Sebastian; Formenty, Pierre; Fouchier, Ron A. M.; Ghedin, Elodie; Gonzalez, Jean-Paul; Harrach, Balazs; Hewson, Roger; Horie, Masayuki; Jiang, Daohong; Kobinger, Gary P.; Kondo, Hideki; Kropinski, Andrew; Krupovic, Mart; Kurath, Gael; Lamb, Robert A.; Leroy, Eric M.; Lukashevich, Igor S.; Maisner, Andrea; Mushegian, Arcady; Netesov, Sergey V.; Nowotny, Norbert; Patterson, Jean L.; Payne, Susan L.; Paweska, Janusz T.; Peters, C.J.; Radoshitzky, Sheli; Rima, Bertus K.; Romanowski, Victor; Rubbenstroth, Dennis; Sabanadzovic, Sead; Sanfacon, Helene; Salvato , Maria; Schwemmle, Martin; Smither, Sophie J.; Stenglein, Mark; Stone, D.M.; Takada , Ayato; Tesh, Robert B.; Tomonaga, Keizo; Tordo, N.; Towner, Jonathan S.; Vasilakis, Nikos; Volchkov, Victor E.; Jensen, Victoria; Walker, Peter J.; Wang, Lin-Fa; Varsani, Arvind; Whitfield , Anna E.; Zerbini, Francisco Murilo; Kuhn, Jens H.

2017-01-01

Botanical, mycological, zoological, and prokaryotic species names follow the Linnaean format, consisting of an italicized Latinized binomen with a capitalized genus name and a lower case species epithet (e.g., Homo sapiens). Virus species names, however, do not follow a uniform format, and, even when binomial, are not Linnaean in style. In this thought exercise, we attempted to convert all currently official names of species included in the virus family Arenaviridae and the virus order Mononegavirales to Linnaean binomials, and to identify and address associated challenges and concerns. Surprisingly, this endeavor was not as complicated or time-consuming as even the authors of this article expected when conceiving the experiment.

Expression and Purification of Z Protein from Junín Virus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. E. Goñi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Arenaviridae comprises 23 recognized virus species with a bipartite ssRNA genome and an ambisense coding strategy. The virions are enveloped and include nonequimolar amounts of each genomic RNA species, designated L and S, coding for four ORFs (N, GPC, L, and Z. The arenavirus Junín (JUNV is the etiological agent of Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever, an acute disease with high mortality rate. It has been proposed that Z is the functional counterpart of the matrix proteins found in other negative-stranded enveloped RNA viruses. Here we report the optimized expression of a synthetic gene of Z protein, using three expression systems (two bacterial and a baculoviral one. One of these recombinant proteins was used to generate antibodies. A bioinformatic analysis was made where Z was subdivided into three domains. The data presented contributes methodologies for Z recombinant production and provides the basis for the development of new experiments to test its function.

A STAT-1 knockout mouse model for Machupo virus pathogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shurtleff Amy C

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Machupo virus (MACV, a member of the Arenaviridae, causes Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, with ~20% lethality in humans. The pathogenesis of MACV infection is poorly understood, and there are no clinically proven treatments for disease. This is due, in part, to a paucity of small animal models for MACV infection in which to discover and explore candidate therapeutics. Methods Mice lacking signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT-1 were infected with MACV. Lethality, viral replication, metabolic changes, hematology, histopathology, and systemic cytokine expression were analyzed throughout the course of infection. Results We report here that STAT-1 knockout mice succumbed to MACV infection within 7-8 days, and presented some relevant clinical and histopathological manifestations of disease. Furthermore, the model was used to validate the efficacy of ribavirin in protection against infection. Conclusions The STAT-1 knockout mouse model can be a useful small animal model for drug testing and preliminary immunological analysis of lethal MACV infection.

Advanced Vaccine Candidates for Lassa Fever

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor S. Lukashevich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Lassa virus (LASV is the most prominent human pathogen of the Arenaviridae. The virus is transmitted to humans by a rodent reservoir, Mastomys natalensis, and is capable of causing lethal Lassa Fever (LF. LASV has the highest human impact of any of the viral hemorrhagic fevers (with the exception of Dengue Fever with an estimated several hundred thousand infections annually, resulting in thousands of deaths in Western Africa. The sizeable disease burden, numerous imported cases of LF in non-endemic countries, and the possibility that LASV can be used as an agent of biological warfare make a strong case for vaccine development. Presently there is no licensed vaccine against LF or approved treatment. Recently, several promising vaccine candidates have been developed which can potentially target different groups at risk. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the LASV pathogenesis and immune mechanisms involved in protection. The current status of pre-clinical development of the advanced vaccine candidates that have been tested in non-human primates will be discussed. Major scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory challenges will also be considered.

Novel arenavirus sequences in Hylomyscus sp. and Mus (Nannomys setulosus from Côte d'Ivoire: implications for evolution of arenaviruses in Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Coulibaly-N'Golo

Full Text Available This study aimed to identify new arenaviruses and gather insights in the evolution of arenaviruses in Africa. During 2003 through 2005, 1,228 small mammals representing 14 different genera were trapped in 9 villages in south, east, and middle west of Côte d'Ivoire. Specimens were screened by pan-Old World arenavirus RT-PCRs targeting S and L RNA segments as well as immunofluorescence assay. Sequences of two novel tentative species of the family Arenaviridae, Menekre and Gbagroube virus, were detected in Hylomyscus sp. and Mus (Nannomys setulosus, respectively. Arenavirus infection of Mus (Nannomys setulosus was also demonstrated by serological testing. Lassa virus was not found, although 60% of the captured animals were Mastomys natalensis. Complete S RNA and partial L RNA sequences of the novel viruses were recovered from the rodent specimens and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Gbagroube virus is a closely related sister taxon of Lassa virus, while Menekre virus clusters with the Ippy/Mobala/Mopeia virus complex. Reconstruction of possible virus-host co-phylogeny scenarios suggests that, within the African continent, signatures of co-evolution might have been obliterated by multiple host-switching events.

Uncovering Viral Protein-Protein Interactions and their Role in Arenavirus Life Cycle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nora López

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The Arenaviridae family includes widely distributed pathogens that cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. Replication and packaging of their single-stranded RNA genome involve RNA recognition by viral proteins and a number of key protein-protein interactions. Viral RNA synthesis is directed by the virus-encoded RNA dependent-RNA polymerase (L protein and requires viral RNA encapsidation by the Nucleoprotein. In addition to the role that the interaction between L and the Nucleoprotein may have in the replication process, polymerase activity appears to be modulated by the association between L and the small multifunctional Z protein. Z is also a structural component of the virions that plays an essential role in viral morphogenesis. Indeed, interaction of the Z protein with the Nucleoprotein is critical for genome packaging. Furthermore, current evidence suggests that binding between Z and the viral envelope glycoprotein complex is required for virion infectivity, and that Z homo-oligomerization is an essential step for particle assembly and budding. Efforts to understand the molecular basis of arenavirus life cycle have revealed important details on these viral protein-protein interactions that will be reviewed in this article.

Virus like particle-based vaccines against emerging infectious disease viruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinliang; Dai, Shiyu; Wang, Manli; Hu, Zhihong; Wang, Hualin; Deng, Fei

2016-08-01

Emerging infectious diseases are major threats to human health. Most severe viral disease outbreaks occur in developing regions where health conditions are poor. With increased international travel and business, the possibility of eventually transmitting infectious viruses between different countries is increasing. The most effective approach in preventing viral diseases is vaccination. However, vaccines are not currently available for numerous viral diseases. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are engineered vaccine candidates that have been studied for decades. VLPs are constructed by viral protein expression in various expression systems that promote the selfassembly of proteins into structures resembling virus particles. VLPs have antigenicity similar to that of the native virus, but are non-infectious as they lack key viral genetic material. VLP vaccines have attracted considerable research interest because they offer several advantages over traditional vaccines. Studies have shown that VLP vaccines can stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses, which may offer effective antiviral protection. Here we review recent developments with VLP-based vaccines for several highly virulent emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases. The infectious agents discussed include RNA viruses from different virus families, such as the Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Caliciviridae, Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, and Togaviridae families.

Diagnóstico virológico y molecular de virus transmitidos por roedores. Hantavirus y arenavirus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvana Levis

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Los hantavirus (familia Bunyaviridae y arenavirus (familia Arenaviridae son virus de roedores; cada uno de ellos parece estar estrictamente asociado con una especie de roedor en la que causa una infección persistente y asintomática. En las Américas tienen como reservorios primarios a roedores de la sub-familia Sigmodontinae, y son causantes de síndrome pulmonar por Hantavirus (SPH y fiebres hemorrágicas, respectivamente (1,2. El número de estos virus identificados en los últimos años ha aumentado significativamente; actualmente, el género Hantavirus está compuesto por más de 28 tipos diferentes, mientras que al menos 23 arenavirus conforman el género Arenavirus. Entre los hantavirus asociados con SPH se destacan el virus Sin Nombre en Norteamérica, y los virus Andes, Laguna Negra, Caño Delgadito, Araraquara y Juquitiba, en el cono sur de América, entre otros (2. Los arenavirus asociados a fiebres hemorrágicas reconocidos en Sud América al presente son: Junín (Argentina, Guanarito (Venezuela, Sabiá (Brasil, y Machupo y Chapare (Bolivia (3.

Sequence analysis of L RNA of Lassa virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieth, Simon; Torda, Andrew E.; Asper, Marcel; Schmitz, Herbert; Guenther, Stephan

2004-01-01

The L RNA of three Lassa virus strains originating from Nigeria, Ghana/Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone was sequenced and the data subjected to structure predictions and phylogenetic analyses. The L gene products had 2218-2221 residues, diverged by 18% at the amino acid level, and contained several conserved regions. Only one region of 504 residues (positions 1043-1546) could be assigned a function, namely that of an RNA polymerase. Secondary structure predictions suggest that this domain is very similar to RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of known structure encoded by plus-strand RNA viruses, permitting a model to be built. Outside the polymerase region, there is little structural data, except for regions of strong alpha-helical content and probably a coiled-coil domain at the N terminus. No evidence for reassortment or recombination during Lassa virus evolution was found. The secondary structure-assisted alignment of the RNA polymerase region permitted a reliable reconstruction of the phylogeny of all negative-strand RNA viruses, indicating that Arenaviridae are most closely related to Nairoviruses. In conclusion, the data provide a basis for structural and functional characterization of the Lassa virus L protein and reveal new insights into the phylogeny of negative-strand RNA viruses

A multivalent and cross-protective vaccine strategy against arenaviruses associated with human disease.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maya F Kotturi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Arenaviruses are the causative pathogens of severe hemorrhagic fever and aseptic meningitis in humans, for which no licensed vaccines are currently available. Pathogen heterogeneity within the Arenaviridae family poses a significant challenge for vaccine development. The main hypothesis we tested in the present study was whether it is possible to design a universal vaccine strategy capable of inducing simultaneous HLA-restricted CD8+ T cell responses against 7 pathogenic arenaviruses (including the lymphocytic choriomeningitis, Lassa, Guanarito, Junin, Machupo, Sabia, and Whitewater Arroyo viruses, either through the identification of widely conserved epitopes, or by the identification of a collection of epitopes derived from multiple arenavirus species. By inoculating HLA transgenic mice with a panel of recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVACVs expressing the different arenavirus proteins, we identified 10 HLA-A02 and 10 HLA-A03-restricted epitopes that are naturally processed in human antigen-presenting cells. For some of these epitopes we were able to demonstrate cross-reactive CD8+ T cell responses, further increasing the coverage afforded by the epitope set against each different arenavirus species. Importantly, we showed that immunization of HLA transgenic mice with an epitope cocktail generated simultaneous CD8+ T cell responses against all 7 arenaviruses, and protected mice against challenge with rVACVs expressing either Old or New World arenavirus glycoproteins. In conclusion, the set of identified epitopes allows broad, non-ethnically biased coverage of all 7 viral species targeted by our studies.