Protein sequence database for pathogenic arenaviruses (original) (raw)

Characterization of arenaviruses using a family-specific primer set for RT-PCR amplification and RFLP analysis

Virus Research, 1997

Arenaviruses are enveloped viruses with a genome composed of two ssRNA species, designated L and S. The arenaviruses were divided in two major groups (Old World and New World), based on serological properties and genetic data, as well as geographic distribution. A sequence alignment analysis of all reported arenavirus S RNAs yielded 17 conserved regions in addition to a reported conserved region at the end of both RNAs. The consensus sequences of these regions were used to design generalized primers suitable for RT-PCR amplification of a set of overlapping nucleotide sequence fragments comprising the complete S RNA of any arenavirus. A restriction analysis (RFLP) was designed to rapidly typify the amplified fragments. This RT-PCR-RFLP approach was tested with Old World (LCM) and New World (Junín and Tacaribe) arenaviruses. Furthermore, using this procedure the whole S RNA of a novel arenavirus isolate obtained from a rodent trapped in central Argentina, was amplified and characterized. Partial nucleotide sequence data were used for phylogenetic analyses that showed the relationships between this arenavirus and the rest of the members of the family. This relatively simple methodology will be useful both in basic studies and epidemiological survey programs. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

RECEPTOR DETERMINANTS OF ZOONOTIC TRANSMISSION OF NEW WORLD HEMORRHAGIC FEVER ARENAVIRUSES, p 86 (abstract VOP-136)

2008

Transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) is a cellular receptor for the New World hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses Machupo (MACV), Junín (JUNV), and Guanarito (GTOV). Each of these viruses is specifically adapted to a distinct rodent host species, but all cause human disease. Here we compare the ability of these viruses to use various mammalian transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) orthologs, including those of the South American rodents that serve as reservoirs for MACV, JUNV, and GTOV (Calomys callosus, Calomys musculinus, and Zygodontomys brevicauda, respectively). Retroviruses pseudotyped with MACV and JUNV but not GTOV glycoproteins (GPs) efficiently used C. callosus TfR1, whereas only JUNV GP could use C. musculinus TfR1. All three viruses efficiently used Z. brevicauda TfR1. TfR1 orthologs from related rodents, including house mouse (Mus musculus) and rat (Rattus norvegicus), did not support entry of these viruses. In contrast, these viruses efficiently used human and domestic cat TfR1 orthologs. We further show that a local region of the human TfR1 apical domain, including tyrosine 211, determined the efficiency with which MACV, JUNV, and GTOV used various TfR1 orthologs. Our data show that these New World arenaviruses are specifically adapted to the TfR1 orthologs of their respective rodent hosts and identify key commonalities between these orthologs and human TfR1 necessary for efficient transmission of these viruses to humans. Calomys ͉ Junín virus ͉ Machupo virus ͉ transferrin receptor 1 A renaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded, bisegmented RNA viruses with ambisense genomes (1). The family Arenaviridae consists of a single genus (Arenavirus) composed of at least 24 viruses (2, 3). Based on their antigenic properties, arenaviruses have been classified into two major groups: the Old World arenaviruses, which include lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Lassa virus (LASV), and the New World arenaviruses, which are further divided into clades A, B, and C. The South American viruses Machupo (MACV), Junín (JUNV), Guanarito (GTOV), and Sabiá (SABV) belong to clade B and cause Bolivian, Argentinian, Venezuelan, and Brazilian hemorrhagic fevers, respectively. MACV, JUNV, and GTOV are classified as National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Category A Priority Pathogens, Select Agents, and Class 4 Biosafety Pathogens, in part due to their high lethality (2, 4). Rodents of the Muridae family are the natural hosts of most arenaviruses, and the geographic distribution of each arenavirus is determined by the range of its corresponding host. New World arenaviruses are found in the murid subfamily Sigmodontinae in specialized ecologic niches in South and North America (5, 6). Calomys callosus (large vesper mouse), Calomys musculinus (drylands vesper mouse), and Zygodontomys brevicauda (cane mouse) are the principal hosts for MACV, JUNV, and GTOV, respectively. The host of SABV has not been identified (7-10). The phylogenetic diversity of arenaviruses is likely the result of long-term coevolution of the viruses and their corresponding hosts (11, 12).

Human Hemorrhagic Fever Causing Arenaviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Virus Virulence and Disease Pathogenesis

Pathogens, 2015

Arenaviruses include multiple human pathogens ranging from the low-risk lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to highly virulent hemorrhagic fever (HF) causing viruses such as Lassa (LASV), Junin (JUNV), Machupo (MACV), Lujo (LUJV), Sabia (SABV), Guanarito (GTOV), and Chapare (CHPV), for which there are limited preventative and therapeutic measures. Why some arenaviruses can cause virulent human infections while others cannot, even though they are isolated from the same rodent hosts, is an enigma. Recent studies have revealed several potential pathogenic mechanisms of arenaviruses, including factors that increase viral replication capacity and suppress host innate immunity, which leads to high viremia and generalized immune suppression as the hallmarks of severe and lethal arenaviral HF diseases. This review summarizes current knowledge of the roles of each of the four viral proteins and some known cellular factors in the pathogenesis of arenaviral HF as well as of some human primary cell-culture and animal models that lend themselves to studying arenavirus-induced HF disease pathogenesis. Knowledge gained from these studies can be applied towards the development of novel therapeutics and vaccines against these deadly human pathogens.

Receptor Determinants of Zoonotic Transmission of New World Hemorrhagic Fever Arenaviruses, p 77 (abstract 307)

2008

Transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) is a cellular receptor for the New World hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses Machupo (MACV), Junín (JUNV), and Guanarito (GTOV). Each of these viruses is specifically adapted to a distinct rodent host species, but all cause human disease. Here we compare the ability of these viruses to use various mammalian transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) orthologs, including those of the South American rodents that serve as reservoirs for MACV, JUNV, and GTOV (Calomys callosus, Calomys musculinus, and Zygodontomys brevicauda, respectively). Retroviruses pseudotyped with MACV and JUNV but not GTOV glycoproteins (GPs) efficiently used C. callosus TfR1, whereas only JUNV GP could use C. musculinus TfR1. All three viruses efficiently used Z. brevicauda TfR1. TfR1 orthologs from related rodents, including house mouse (Mus musculus) and rat (Rattus norvegicus), did not support entry of these viruses. In contrast, these viruses efficiently used human and domestic cat TfR1 orthologs. We further show that a local region of the human TfR1 apical domain, including tyrosine 211, determined the efficiency with which MACV, JUNV, and GTOV used various TfR1 orthologs. Our data show that these New World arenaviruses are specifically adapted to the TfR1 orthologs of their respective rodent hosts and identify key commonalities between these orthologs and human TfR1 necessary for efficient transmission of these viruses to humans. Calomys ͉ Junín virus ͉ Machupo virus ͉ transferrin receptor 1 A renaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded, bisegmented RNA viruses with ambisense genomes (1). The family Arenaviridae consists of a single genus (Arenavirus) composed of at least 24 viruses (2, 3). Based on their antigenic properties, arenaviruses have been classified into two major groups: the Old World arenaviruses, which include lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Lassa virus (LASV), and the New World arenaviruses, which are further divided into clades A, B, and C. The South American viruses Machupo (MACV), Junín (JUNV), Guanarito (GTOV), and Sabiá (SABV) belong to clade B and cause Bolivian, Argentinian, Venezuelan, and Brazilian hemorrhagic fevers, respectively. MACV, JUNV, and GTOV are classified as National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Category A Priority Pathogens, Select Agents, and Class 4 Biosafety Pathogens, in part due to their high lethality (2, 4). Rodents of the Muridae family are the natural hosts of most arenaviruses, and the geographic distribution of each arenavirus is determined by the range of its corresponding host. New World arenaviruses are found in the murid subfamily Sigmodontinae in specialized ecologic niches in South and North America (5, 6). Calomys callosus (large vesper mouse), Calomys musculinus (drylands vesper mouse), and Zygodontomys brevicauda (cane mouse) are the principal hosts for MACV, JUNV, and GTOV, respectively. The host of SABV has not been identified (7-10). The phylogenetic diversity of arenaviruses is likely the result of long-term coevolution of the viruses and their corresponding hosts (11, 12).

Serological assays based on recombinant viral proteins for the diagnosis of arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers

Viruses, 2012

The family Arenaviridae, genus Arenavirus, consists of two phylogenetically independent groups: Old World (OW) and New World (NW) complexes. The Lassa and Lujo viruses in the OW complex and the Guanarito, Junin, Machupo, Sabia, and Chapare viruses in the NW complex cause viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in humans, leading to serious public health concerns. These viruses are also considered potential bioterrorism agents. Therefore, it is of great importance to detect these pathogens rapidly and specifically in order to minimize the risk and scale of arenavirus outbreaks. However, these arenaviruses are classified as BSL-4 pathogens, thus making it difficult to develop diagnostic techniques for these virus infections in institutes without BSL-4 facilities. To overcome these difficulties, antibody detection systems in the form of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an indirect immunofluorescence assay were developed using recombinant nucleoproteins (rNPs) derived from these v...

Comparative analysis of disease pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of New World and Old World arenavirus infections

Arenaviruses can cause fatal human haemorrhagic fever (HF) diseases for which vaccines and therapies are extremely limited. Both the New World (NW) and Old World (OW) groups of arenaviruses contain HF-causing pathogens. Although these two groups share many similarities, important differences with regard to pathogenicity and molecular mechanisms of virus infection exist. These closely related pathogens share many characteristics, including genome structure, viral assembly, natural host selection and the ability to interfere with innate immune signalling. However, members of the NW and OW viruses appear to use different receptors for cellular entry, as well as different mechanisms of virus internalization. General differences in disease signs and symptoms and pathological lesions in patients infected with either NW or OW arenaviruses are also noted and discussed herein. Whilst both the OW Lassa virus (LASV) and the NW Junin virus (JUNV) can cause disruption of the vascular endothelium, which is an important pathological feature of HF, the immune responses to these related pathogens seem to be quite distinct. Whereas LASV infection results in an overall generalized immune suppression, patients infected with JUNV seem to develop a cytokine storm. Additionally, the type of immune response required for recovery and clearance of the virus is different between NW and OW infections. These differences may be important to allow the viruses to evade host immune detection. Understanding these differences will aid the development of new vaccines and treatment strategies against deadly HF viral infections.

Research efforts to control highly pathogenic arenaviruses: A summary of the progress and gaps

Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology, 2015

Significant progress has been made in the past 10 years in unraveling the molecular biology of highly pathogenic arenaviruses that are endemic in several West African countries (Lassa fever virus) and in some regions of South America (Argentine and Bolivian hemorrhagic fever viruses). While this has resulted in proof-of-concept studies of novel vaccine candidates in non-human primates and in the discovery of several novel antiviral small molecule drug candidates, none of them has been tested in the clinic to date. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has demonstrated very clearly that there is an urgent need to develop the prophylactic and therapeutic armamentarium against viral hemorrhagic fever viruses as part of a global preparedness for future epidemics. As it pertains to this goal, the present article summarizes the current knowledge of highly pathogenic arenaviruses and identifies opportunities for translational research.

Past, present, and future of arenavirus taxonomy

Archives of Virology, 2015

Until recently, members of the monogeneric family Arenaviridae (arenaviruses) have been known to infect only muroid rodents and, in one case, possibly phyllostomid bats. The paradigm of arenaviruses exclusively infecting small mammals shifted dramatically when several groups independently published the detection and isolation of a divergent group of arenaviruses in captive alethinophidian snakes. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses suggest that these reptilian arenaviruses constitute a sister clade to mammalian arenaviruses. Here, the members of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Arenaviridae Study Group, together with other experts, outline the taxonomic reorganization of the family Arenaviridae to accommodate reptilian arenaviruses and other recently discovered mammalian arenaviruses and to improve compliance with the Rules of the International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature (ICVCN). PAirwise Sequence Comparison (PASC) of arenavirus genomes and NP amino acid pairwise distances support the modification of the present classification. As a result, the current genus Arenavirus is replaced by two genera, Mammarenavirus and Reptarenavirus, which are established to accommodate mammalian and reptilian arenaviruses, respectively, in the same family. The current species landscape among mammalian arenaviruses is upheld, with two new species added for Lunk and Merino Walk viruses and minor corrections to the spelling of some names. The published snake arenaviruses are distributed among three new separate reptarenavirus species. Finally, a non-Latinized binomial species name scheme is adopted for all arenavirus species. In addition, the current virus abbreviations have been evaluated, and some changes are

Receptor determinants of zoonotic transmission of New World hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008

Transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) is a cellular receptor for the New World hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses Machupo (MACV), Junín (JUNV), and Guanarito (GTOV). Each of these viruses is specifically adapted to a distinct rodent host species, but all cause human disease. Here we compare the ability of these viruses to use various mammalian transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) orthologs, including those of the South American rodents that serve as reservoirs for MACV, JUNV, and GTOV (Calomys callosus, Calomys musculinus, and Zygodontomys brevicauda, respectively). Retroviruses pseudotyped with MACV and JUNV but not GTOV glycoproteins (GPs) efficiently used C. callosus TfR1, whereas only JUNV GP could use C. musculinus TfR1. All three viruses efficiently used Z. brevicauda TfR1. TfR1 orthologs from related rodents, including house mouse (Mus musculus) and rat (Rattus norvegicus), did not support entry of these viruses. In contrast, these viruses efficiently used human and domestic cat TfR1 orthologs. We further show that a local region of the human TfR1 apical domain, including tyrosine 211, determined the efficiency with which MACV, JUNV, and GTOV used various TfR1 orthologs. Our data show that these New World arenaviruses are specifically adapted to the TfR1 orthologs of their respective rodent hosts and identify key commonalities between these orthologs and human TfR1 necessary for efficient transmission of these viruses to humans.