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Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Box 8146 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway
Correspondence
Britt Gjerset
britt.gjerset{at}veths.no
| ABSTRACT |
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The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the sequences reported in this paper are AF322109 for full-length CAEV-1GA and DQ015910DQ015916 for 26KE.1, 26KE.2, G623, G806, G922, LM30 and 1GA partial env sequences, respectively.
| INTRODUCTION |
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Like other lentiviruses, SRLVs are characterized by high genetic diversity, resulting from factors such as high mutational rates and rapid virus production (Wain-Hobson, 1996
). The SRLV genome contains the structural genes gag, pol and env, in addition to the regulatory genes rev, vif and tat. SRLVs are closely related genetically; however, one of the hallmarks of lentiviruses is the genetic variation, found mainly in the viral env and rev genes, as well as in the long terminal repeat (LTR) region (Pyper et al., 1986
; Knowles et al., 1991
). Sequence information from SRLVs occurring in geographically distinct areas is limited, and thus the extent of diversity and the impact that these variations may have on viral properties and various methods used for diagnosis of infection are only partly known.
Prototypic full-length SRLV sequences include that of CAEV-Co, a strain originally isolated in the USA (Saltarelli et al., 1990
), the ovine South African SA-OMVV strain (Querat et al., 1990
), the British EV-1 strain (Sargan et al., 1991
) and several strains derived from Icelandic visna K1514 (Sonigo et al., 1985
; Andresson et al., 1993
). Recently, two more full-length or nearly full-length SRLV sequences have been published (Barros et al., 2004
; Shah et al., 2004
). In addition, numerous partial sequences of SRLVs exist. Phylogenetic analysis based on nucleotide sequences of gag, pol and env fragments of SRLV has led to CAEV-like viruses being found in sheep and MVV-like viruses in goats, indicating that SRLVs may be able to cross the species barrier between goats and sheep under natural conditions (Karr et al., 1996
; Leroux et al., 1997
; Zanoni, 1998
; Grego et al., 2002
; Rolland et al., 2002
; Shah et al., 2004
).
CAEV is highly prevalent in the Norwegian goat population (Nord et al., 1998
). As there is little information available about the genetic characteristics of SRLVs in Norway, the objective of this study was to examine the genetic properties of a Norwegian isolate of CAEV (CAEV-1GA), primarily to result in improvements in our PCR-based diagnostic methods and also to determine further its degree of genetic relatedness to reference strains from other countries. PCR amplification primers suitable for published SRLV sequences seldom work satisfactorily with CAEV-infected Norwegian goats; this could be explained by significant genomic heterogeneity. To define the variable regions in the env gene encoding the surface glycoprotein (SU) further, sequence information from five additional CAEV-infected goats was included in the analysis.
| METHODS |
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Amplification, cloning and sequencing of viral segments.
Primers for PCR amplification were chosen according to assumed conserved regions of previously published SRLV sequences (Valas et al., 1997
; Castro et al., 1999
) and sequences obtained from CAEV-1GA. PCRs were performed with 0·5 µg genomic DNA and a buffer containing 2·25 mM MgCl2, 200 µM each dNTP, 30 pmol each primer and 2·5 U DNA polymerase (Expand High Fidelity PCR System; Roche) in a total volume of 50 µl. The temperature profile used included an initial denaturation step at 94 °C for 2 min, then 2535 cycles of 94 °C for 15 s, 5055 °C for 30 s and elongation at 6872 °C for a time dependent on fragment length, and finally, a prolonged extension for 7 min at 72 °C. The DNA fragments generated by PCR were purified with the QIAquick protocol (Qiagen) and subsequently sequenced by using a Dye Terminator kit on an ABI PRISM 377 DNA sequencer (Applied Biosystems). In parallel, when necessary for the sequencing results, the amplicons were cloned into the pCR2.1/pCR-XL TOPO vector (Invitrogen) and clones were purified with a QIAprep miniprep kit (Qiagen) before sequencing. The size of the amplified fragments ranged from 250 bp to 5·8 kbp. The sequencing was carried out by the primer-walking technique in long amplicons. The 5'-LTR region was amplified with the 5'-RACE system (GibcoBRL) to complete the sequence. The consensus CAEV-1GA sequence was determined on the basis of sequence data obtained from at least two independent clones and PCR or RT-PCR fragments. Details of the primers used are available upon request. RNA (5 µl) was used in a one-step RT-PCR (Superscript; Invitrogen) consisting of 50 °C for 30 min, then 94 °C for 2 min; further conditions were identical to those used for regular PCR. To amplify the Rev-encoding regions, primers used for RT-PCR of the rev transcript were 145 (5'-AGCGGCTCTCGCAGCTGGCGCCCAAC-3') and 8501 (5'-ATCACCAACGGCGCCACCACCACATT-3'). For alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the SU region, RT-PCR-generated SU sequences from isolates 26KE, G623, G806, G922 and LM30 were compared with the equivalent CAEV-1GA sequence. For each of the isolates, the consensus sequence was determined by using at least three clones and PCR products from independent RT-PCR procedures. The sequences reported in this paper have been given GenBank accession numbers AF322109 for full-length CAEV-1GA and DQ015910DQ015916 for 26KE.1, 26KE.2, G623, G806, G922, LM30 and 1GA partial env sequences, respectively.
Sequence analysis, multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis.
Sequence assembly, multiple alignments and editing were performed in the Vector NTI software package (Invitrogen). SignalP was used to predict the signal-peptide cleavage site (Nielsen et al., 1997
) and SimPlot 2.5 software (Lole et al., 1999
) was used to generate a similarity plot. Alignments of obtained nucleotide sequences from mature SU and available SU sequences from GenBank were used for phylogenetic analysis. Neighbour-joining (NJ) analyses were carried out by using MEGA 2.1 (Kumar et al., 2001
) and likelihood-mapping and maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses were performed by using the quartet-puzzling algorithm implemented in TREE-PUZZLE (Schmidt et al., 2002
). The analyses were conducted by using the TamuraNei model with parameter estimation for gamma distribution of rate variation among sites and ignoring all sites with gaps. Support was assessed through 1000 bootstrap replicates or as percentage of 1000 puzzling steps. The constructed trees were visualized by the TreeView program (Page, 1996
). To investigate possible selective forces affecting the SU part of the env gene, a Z-test of selection implemented in MEGA based on the proportion of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions was used. Estimates were derived by using a modified NeiGojobori method.
| RESULTS |
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Comparison of the CAEV-1GA sequence with those of SRLV representatives
The obtained sequence of CAEV-1GA was aligned optimally to other full-length or nearly full-length SRLV sequences. A similarity plot (Fig. 1
) was used to evaluate the genetic relatedness of the CAEV-1GA isolate to other SRLV sequences. Sequence similarity across the genome of CAEV-1GA showed highest overall similarity to CAEV-Co. The pol region was the most conserved, as observed previously for SRLVs (Pyper et al., 1984
), with a mean of 75 % similarity to the representative SRLV sequences. The predicted amino acid sequence of pol showed a mean of 82 % similarity. High divergence was found in the LTR region as well as the 5' part of the env gene (mean 54 % similarity), in the region corresponding to the surface (SU) glycoprotein encoded by the env gene, with mean predicted amino acid sequence similarity of <50 %. The transmembrane part of the 1GA Env glycoprotein was found to be more conserved than the surface unit (SU) and had the hydrophobicity profile found among SRLVs and the highly conserved lentiviral immunodominant epitope of the external domain (Pancino et al., 1994
). There was an 8 bp overlap (CAEV-1GA positions 57025709) between the open reading frames (ORFs) of tat and vif, a motif found to be conserved among CAEV-Co and Brazilian CAEV isolates, but not among the MVV group (Castro et al., 1999
).
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When comparing SU sequences from Norwegian isolates with that of CAEV-Co (Fig. 2
), the variable regions V1, V2 and V5 are in accordance with previous descriptions (Valas et al., 2000
) and, with the exception of V2, revealed small deletions of 24 aa. The variability in regions V3 and V4 is extensive and extends beyond the regions defined previously. The alignment revealed deletions of 6 aa in the V3 region and 2223 aa in the extended V4 region, resulting in a size of mature SU from Norwegian CAEV isolates of 515516 aa. Although 19 out of 20 cysteine residues in the SU sequence of Norwegian CAEV isolates remain conserved when compared with CAEV-Co, substitutions and deletions in the V4 region correspond to one cysteine residue in a different position and the loss of two cysteine residues found in the CAEV-Co sequence.
Phylogenetic comparisons of the SU region
Phylogenetic analyses were carried out with several programs to determine further the genetic relationship between mature SU sequences from Norwegian CAEV isolates and corresponding SU sequences obtainable from GenBank. Likelihood mapping was conducted to assess the phylogenetic signal in the SU alignment and revealed 94 % fully resolved quartet trees, indicating that the phylogenetic signal in the alignment was highly informative. Estimates for the transition/transversion ratio and the gamma-distribution parameter for rate heterogeneity were 2·20 and 0·63, respectively. The tree topologies resulting from NJ (not shown) and ML (Fig. 4
) analyses were highly similar. The sequences reported here cluster together with high support values and form a unique group, suggested by the long branch that separates them from other SRLVs.
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| DISCUSSION |
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A Z-test of selection based on quantities of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions indicated that the diversity in the SU region is a result of positive selection, meaning that amino acid-altering substitutions offer fitness advantages. The extent to which selective forces contribute to sequence diversity in SRLVs remains unclear. An indication of positive selection in the env region of SRLVs has been found previously (Zanoni, 1998
; Rolland et al., 2002
). The possibility that selective forces could be related to SRLV adaptation to relatively genetically homogeneous host populations has been suggested (Bertoni et al., 2000
). Indeed, the domestic goat in Norway represents a population that has been kept in isolation for an extended period of time due to limited importation. The CAEV isolates examined are suggested to be representatives of CAEV that have persisted and co-evolved with the Norwegian domestic goat.
The genetic variability of SRLV SU has been defined to five major regions, V1V5 (Valas et al., 2000
). Variant regions V1, V2 and V5 of Norwegian CAEV SU display characteristics similar to those described previously. The regions around V2 and V5 contain conserved motifs, corresponding to inner domains that may be involved in the conformational structure of SU and mediate interactions with the transmembrane glycoprotein TM (Hötzel & Cheevers, 2000
, 2003
). Regions V3 and V4 extend beyond the locations defined previously and demonstrate higher sequence variation than previous descriptions of SRLV mature SU. The V3V4 region contains the majority of the potential N-linked glycosylation sites, hence suggesting an exposed nature for this domain and potential for immune evasion. The size of the deduced mature SU from Norwegian CAEV isolates is 3035 aa shorter than representative CAEV mature SU sequences, which contain 546550 aa with 22 cysteines and 2023 potential N-linked glycosylation sites (Saltarelli et al., 1990
; Knowles et al., 1991
; Valas et al., 1997
, 2000
). Conservation is found for the majority of the cysteine residues in Norwegian CAEV SU sequences, although substitutions and deletions in the V4 region lead to the loss of two residues otherwise conserved in representative SRLV sequences. The functional relevance of the deletions and diversity in the V4 region of Norwegian CAEV are of particular interest, as they suggest the size of the putative outer domains of SU to be smaller than described previously for SRLV SU and to contain extensive antigenic variations.
The C-terminal part of CAEV SU has been reported to contain the most immunogenic regions of SU (Bertoni et al., 2000
; Valas et al., 2000
). The location of a conformation-dependent neutralization epitope in connection with a cysteine-bridged loop has been proposed in the V4 region of MVV (Skraban et al., 1999
). The respective area in CAEV-63 SU includes a region that demonstrates rapid sequence changes during persistent infection and may be part of a variable neutralization epitope (Hötzel et al., 2002
). In the SRLV V4 region, the location of the cysteine loop of 12 residues is highly conserved, with a relatively conserved sequence (Sonigo et al., 1985
; Querat et al., 1990
; Saltarelli et al., 1990
; Sargan et al., 1991
; Valas et al., 1997
, 2000
; Barros et al., 2004
) and is suggested to have a function analogous to that of the V3 region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (Skraban et al., 1999
). A similar motif was not found in Norwegian CAEV SU sequences. The CAEV-1GA CFNSTNRNC sequence at positions 464472 of the Env amino acid sequence could be in an analogue position, as the last cysteine residue in the C-teminal part of SU is located in a conserved region (Fig. 2
). The fact that this alternative sequence loop is present in isolates obtained from different regions of Norway suggests that this motif represents traits linked to Norwegian CAEV and may contribute to distinct immunogenic domains.
Genetic analysis of the env region showed that the variation observed in the SU amino acid sequence distinguishes Norwegian CAEV from representative SRLVs. Considering the importance of the SU region for viral pathogenesis and cell tropism, the genetic diversity in the region must be under some functional restriction. Comparing sequences from distinct SRLVs may help to identify conserved patterns of SU that are important for viral functions.
In addition to the SU region, the predicted sequence of the CAEV-1GA env gene suggested that the Rev-encoding region differs significantly from that of CAEV-Co Rev. In HIV-1 and SRLVs, the Rev protein regulates the switch between early and late phases of virus infection by exporting unspliced or singly spliced viral mRNA to the cytoplasm (Malim et al., 1989
). Functionally important regions include an arginine-rich basic domain that mediates nuclear localization, as well as RNA binding through the RNA target sequence (RRE), and a leucine-rich domain that functions as a nuclear-export signal (Schoborg & Clements, 1996
; reviewed by Cullen, 1998
). Both the conserved leucine-rich and arginine-rich domains, containing eight arginine residues in one stretch, were present within the deduced CAEV-1GA Rev protein. A third domain containing N-terminal residues contributes to Rev multimerization and the formation of such a Rev multimer on RRE has been reported to be required for HIV-1 Rev activity (Malim & Cullen, 1991
).
The proposed CAEV-1GA Rev protein is 27 aa shorter than the corresponding protein from CAEV-Co (Saltarelli et al., 1994
), and the major reason for this is the small N-terminal part of 14 aa encoded by exon 3. Mutational analysis of CAEV-Co Rev has allowed identification of several residues within the N-terminal coding exon that are required for optimal RevRRE binding. These residues were proposed to form secondary structures that participate in interactions and possibly interact directly with the RRE (Abelson & Schoborg, 2003
). A more detailed analysis of this region is needed to characterize the functional effect of CAEV-1GA N-terminal Rev protein truncation.
The 451 bp rev transcript lacked exon 3. Similar transcripts have been described from other CAEV strains where a Rev protein encoded from a non-AUG initiation codon yielded an isoform lacking the N-terminal region, although it was not possible to detect the Rev isoform in CAEV-infected cells or in mature viral particles (Gazit et al., 1996
). On the other hand, the presence of such alternative rev transcripts among CAEV strains may indicate a functional role in the viral life cycle for Rev proteins encoded by this gene.
In summary, both phylogenetic analysis and sequence alignment of the SU amino acid sequence revealed a distant genetic relationship between Norwegian CAEV and other SRLVs. The characterization of CAEV-1GA will facilitate more thorough studies on SRLV field isolates. Different grades of genetic variation are observed in the various regions of the SRLV genome. The sequence data obtained allow us to locate conserved regions and give valuable information for evaluating diagnostic methods that are influenced by variations in the SRLV target sequence. Further sequence information available from SRLVs that have evolved under different conditions will give a better understanding about the genetic diversity within SRLVs, and possibly insight into common structural features.
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
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Received 23 May 2005;
accepted 15 November 2005.
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