Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) represents a highly medically important pathogen which has constantly been the subject of both molecular and clinical investigations. HCMV infections, especially those in high-risk patients, still raise many unanswered questions, so current investigations are focused on viral pathogenesis, vaccine development, and options for antiviral drug targeting. To this end, the use of suitable viral strains as well as recombinant reporter constructs in cultured cells and model systems has specific significance. We previously reported on the application of various herpesviruses that express green, red, or related fluorescent proteins, especially in the fields of virus-host interaction and antiviral research. Here, we characterized a recombinant version of the clinically relevant and cell type-adaptable HCMV strain TB40, which expresses firefly luciferase as a quantitative reporter of viral replication (TB40-FLuc). The data provide evidence for five main conclusions. First, HCMV TB40-FLuc is employable in multiple settings in primary human cells. Second, viral reporter signals are easily quantifiable, even at early time points within viral replication. Third, the FLuc reporter reflects the kinetics of viral intracellular replication, cascade-like viral IE-E-L protein production, and progeny release. Fourth, as relates to specific applications of the TB40-FLuc system, we demonstrated the reliability of quantitative antiviral compound determination in multi-well formats and its independence from fluorescence-based measurements in the case of autofluorescent inhibitors. Finally, we illustrated increased reporter sensitivity in comparison to other recombinant HCMVs. In essence, recombinant HCMV TB40-FLuc combines several molecular properties that are considered beneficial in studies on viral host tropism, replication efficiency, and antiviral drug assessment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13080645 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam, 13120, Republic of Korea.
The Crimean Congo virus has been reported to be a part of the spherical RNA-enveloped viruses from the Bunyaviridae family. Crimean Congo fever (CCHF) is a fatal disease with having fatality rate of up to 40%. It is declared endemic by the World Health Organization.
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December 2024
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is widespread and has been related to a variety of malignancies as well as infectious mononucleosis. Despite the lack of a vaccination, antiviral medications offer some therapy alternatives. The EBV BZLF1 gene significantly impacts viral replication and infection severity.
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December 2024
Bioinformatics Laboratory, College of Computing, University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Ben Guerir, Morocco.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) presents a significant global health issue due to its widespread prevalence and the absence of a reliable vaccine for prevention. While significant progress has been achieved in therapeutic interventions since the disease was first identified, its resurgence underscores the need for innovative strategies to combat it. The nonstructural protein NS5A is crucial in the life cycle of the HCV, serving as a significant factor in both viral replication and assembly processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
December 2024
Costerton Biofilm Center, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark.
The evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in biofilms, driven by mechanisms like oxidative stress, is a major challenge. This study investigates whether antioxidants (AOs) such as N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) and Edaravone (ED) can reduce AMR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin (CIP). In vitro experimental evolution studies were conducted using flow cells and glass beads biofilm models.
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December 2024
KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Virology, Antiviral Drug & Vaccine Research Group, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Leuven, Belgium.
The 2015-2016 Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas revealed the ability of ZIKV from the Asian lineage to cause birth defects, generically called congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). Notwithstanding the long circulation history of Asian ZIKV, no ZIKV-associated CZS cases were reported prior to the outbreaks in French Polynesia (2013) and Brazil (2015). Whether the sudden emergence of CZS resulted from an evolutionary event of Asian ZIKV has remained unclear.
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