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Molecular characterization of the rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) ORF4 gene and the RRV complement control protein it encodes

Mark, Linda LU ; Spiller, O. Brad ; Okroj, Marcin LU ; Chanas, Simon ; Aitken, Jim A. ; Wong, Scott W. ; Damania, Blossom ; Blom, Anna LU orcid and Blackbourn, David J. (2007) In Journal of Virology 81(8). p.4166-4176
Abstract
The diversity of viral strategies to modulate complement activation indicates that this component of the immune system has significant antiviral potential. One example is the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) complement control protein (KCP), which inhibits progression of the complement cascade. Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV), like KSHV, is a member of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae and currently provides the only in vivo model of KSHV pathobiology in primates. In the present study, we characterized the KCP homologue encoded by RRV, RRV complement control protein (RCP). Two strains of RRV have been sequenced to date (H26-95 and 17577), and the RCPs they encode differ substantially in structure: RCP from strain H26-95 has four... (More)
The diversity of viral strategies to modulate complement activation indicates that this component of the immune system has significant antiviral potential. One example is the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) complement control protein (KCP), which inhibits progression of the complement cascade. Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV), like KSHV, is a member of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae and currently provides the only in vivo model of KSHV pathobiology in primates. In the present study, we characterized the KCP homologue encoded by RRV, RRV complement control protein (RCP). Two strains of RRV have been sequenced to date (H26-95 and 17577), and the RCPs they encode differ substantially in structure: RCP from strain H26-95 has four complement control protein (CCP) domains, whereas RCP from strain 17577 has eight CCP domains. Transcriptional analyses of the RCP gene (ORF4, referred to herein as RCP) in infected rhesus macaque fibroblasts mapped the ends of the transcripts of both strains. They revealed that H26-95 encodes a full-length, unspliced RCP transcript, while 17577 RCP generates a full-length unspliced mRNA and two alternatively spliced transcripts. Western blotting confirmed that infected cells express RCP, and immune electron microscopy disclosed this protein on the surface of RRV virions. Functional studies of RCP encoded by both RRV strains revealed their ability to suppress complement activation by the classical (antibody-mediated) pathway. These data provide the foundation for studies into the biological significance of gammaherpesvirus complement regulatory proteins in a tractable, non-human primate model. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Virology
volume
81
issue
8
pages
4166 - 4176
publisher
American Society for Microbiology
external identifiers
  • scopus:34247129667
  • wos:000245692900048
  • pmid:17287274
ISSN
1098-5514
DOI
10.1128/JVI.02069-06
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d658c20a-b34e-4f90-9faf-7ab4f72d67ef (old id 165832)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:01:07
date last changed
2022-02-12 19:15:46
@article{d658c20a-b34e-4f90-9faf-7ab4f72d67ef,
  abstract     = {{The diversity of viral strategies to modulate complement activation indicates that this component of the immune system has significant antiviral potential. One example is the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) complement control protein (KCP), which inhibits progression of the complement cascade. Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV), like KSHV, is a member of the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae and currently provides the only in vivo model of KSHV pathobiology in primates. In the present study, we characterized the KCP homologue encoded by RRV, RRV complement control protein (RCP). Two strains of RRV have been sequenced to date (H26-95 and 17577), and the RCPs they encode differ substantially in structure: RCP from strain H26-95 has four complement control protein (CCP) domains, whereas RCP from strain 17577 has eight CCP domains. Transcriptional analyses of the RCP gene (ORF4, referred to herein as RCP) in infected rhesus macaque fibroblasts mapped the ends of the transcripts of both strains. They revealed that H26-95 encodes a full-length, unspliced RCP transcript, while 17577 RCP generates a full-length unspliced mRNA and two alternatively spliced transcripts. Western blotting confirmed that infected cells express RCP, and immune electron microscopy disclosed this protein on the surface of RRV virions. Functional studies of RCP encoded by both RRV strains revealed their ability to suppress complement activation by the classical (antibody-mediated) pathway. These data provide the foundation for studies into the biological significance of gammaherpesvirus complement regulatory proteins in a tractable, non-human primate model.}},
  author       = {{Mark, Linda and Spiller, O. Brad and Okroj, Marcin and Chanas, Simon and Aitken, Jim A. and Wong, Scott W. and Damania, Blossom and Blom, Anna and Blackbourn, David J.}},
  issn         = {{1098-5514}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{4166--4176}},
  publisher    = {{American Society for Microbiology}},
  series       = {{Journal of Virology}},
  title        = {{Molecular characterization of the rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) ORF4 gene and the RRV complement control protein it encodes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02069-06}},
  doi          = {{10.1128/JVI.02069-06}},
  volume       = {{81}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}