Min-Ying Wang

Chicken Heat Shock Protein 90 Is a Component of the Putative Cellular Receptor Complex of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus

ABSTRACT Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) causes a highly contagious disease in young chicks and leads to significant economic losses in the poultry industry. The capsid protein VP2 of IBDV plays an important role in virus binding and cell recognition. VP2 forms a subviral particle (SVP) with immunogenicity similar to that of the IBDV capsid. In the present study, we first showed that SVP could inhibit IBDV infection to an IBDV-susceptible cell line, DF-1 cells, in a dose-dependent manner. Second, the localizations of the SVP on the surface of DF-1 cells were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy, and the specific binding of the SVP to DF-1 cells occurred in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the attachment of SVP to DF-1 cells was inhibited by an SVP-induced neutralizing monoclonal antibody against IBDV but not by denatured-VP2-induced polyclonal antibodies. Third, the cellular factors in DF-1 cells involved in the attachment of SVP were purified by affinity chromatography using SVP bound on the immobilized Ni2+ ions. A dominant factor was identified as being chicken heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) (cHsp90) by mass spectrometry. Results of biotinylation experiments and indirect fluorescence assays indicated that cHsp90 is located on the surface of DF-1 cells. Virus overlay protein binding assays and far-Western assays also concluded that cHsp90 interacts with IBDV and SVP, respectively. Finally, both Hsp90 and anti-Hsp90 can inhibit the infection of DF-1 cells by IBDV. Taken together, for the first time, our results suggest that cHsp90 is part of the putative cellular receptor complex essential for IBDV entry into DF-1 cells.

Self-assembly of the infectious bursal disease virus capsid protein, rVP2, expressed in insect cells and purification of immunogenic chimeric rVP2H particles by immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography

A gene encoding a structural protein (VP2) of a local strain (P3009) of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) was cloned and expressed using the baculovirus expression system to develop a subunit vaccine against IBDV infection in Taiwan. The expressed rVP2 proteins formed particles of approximately 20-30 nm in diameter. Those particles were partially purified employing sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, and the purified particles were recognized by a monoclonal antibody against the VP2 protein of IBDV P3009. To facilitate the purification of the particles, the VP2 protein was engineered to incorporate a metal ion binding site (His)(6 )at its C-terminus. The chimeric rVP2H proteins also formed particles, which could be affinity-purified in one step with immobilized metal ions (Ni(2+)). Particle formation was confirmed by direct observation under the electron microscope. The production level of rVP2H protein was determined to be 20 mg/L in a batch culture of Hi-5 cells by quantifying the concentration of the purified proteins. The chicken protection assay was performed to evaluate the immunogenicity of the rVP2H protein. When susceptible chickens were inoculated with the recombinant rVP2H proteins (40 microg/bird), virus-neutralizing antibodies were induced, thereby conferring a high level of protection against the challenge of a very virulent strain of IBDV. In conclusion, the most significant finding in this work is that both of the expressed rVP2 and rVP2H proteins can form a particulate structure capable of inducing a strong immunological response in a vaccinated chicken.

Separation of Pure and Immunoreactive Virus‐Like Particles Using Gel Filtration Chromatography Following Immobilized Metal Ion Affinity Chromatography

A purification process was developed to obtain highly pure rVP2H particles, formed by a structural protein (VP2) of the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) with six additional histidine residues at its C‐terminus. The ultimate goal was the development of an efficient subunit vaccine against IBDV infection. The particles within the infected High‐Five (Hi‐5) cell lysates were partially purified by employing immobilized metal ion (Ni2+) affinity chromatography (IMAC). The initial step could recover approximately 85% of immunoreactive rVP2H proteins but failed to separate the rVP2H particles from the free rVP2H proteins or its degraded products. To separate the particulate form from the free form of rVP2H, an additional step was added, which used either gel filtration chromatography or CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation. Both were able to produce extremely pure rVP2H particles with a buoyant density close to 1.27 g/cm3. However, the former method can process a larger sample volume than does the latter. By integrating IMAC and gel filtration chromatography, 1 mg of extremely pure rVP2H particles was routinely obtained from a 500 mL Hi‐5 cell culture broth. The separation of the particulate form from the free form of rVP2H proteins exposes their respective immunogenicity to induce the virus‐neutralizing antibodies and the ability to protect chickens from IBDV infection. Additionally, the abundant quantities of pure rVP2H particles coupled with their uniform dimensions facilitates an understanding of higher order structure of the immunogenic particles and can therefore result in improved vaccines against the virus.

Role of tartaric acid in the inhibition of the formation of Al 13 tridecamer using sulfate precipitation

Polynuclear Al13 tridecamer species are the major hydrolyzed species of aluminum, but their occurrence in terrestrial environments has not been established. X-ray diffraction (XRD), 27Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses show that the presence of tartaric acid (concentration range of 10−5–10−3 M), one of the commonly occurring low-molecular-weight organic acids, inhibits the formation of the Al13 tridecamer species.In the absence of tartaric acid, the basic aluminum sulfate crystals were of tetrahedral morphology and conformed to isometric symmetry with a = 17.748 Å and space group of P4232. Increasing amounts of tartaric acid [tartaric acid/Al molar ratio (R) ranging from 0.01 to 0.05] modified the crystal morphology from the tetrahedral particles of isometric symmetry (R = 0) to rod-shaped particles of monoclinic symmetry (R = 0.01) to irregularly shaped X-ray noncrystalline microparticles (R = 0.05). Failure to detect the presence of Al13 tridecamer, the dominant hydrolyzed species of aluminum, in terrestrial environments may be partially attributed to the presence of low-molecular-weight organic acids, which inhibit the formation of Al13 tridecamer species.

High yield expression in a recombinant E. coli of a codon optimized chicken anemia virus capsid protein VP1 useful for vaccine development

BackgroundChicken anemia virus (CAV), the causative agent chicken anemia, is the only member of the genus Gyrovirus of the Circoviridae family. CAV is an immune suppressive virus and causes anemia, lymph organ atrophy and immunodeficiency. The production and biochemical characterization of VP1 protein and its use in a subunit vaccine or as part of a diagnostic kit would be useful to CAV infection prevention.ResultsSignificantly increased expression of the recombinant full-length VP1 capsid protein from chicken anemia virus was demonstrated using an E. coli expression system. The VP1 gene was cloned into various different expression vectors and then these were expressed in a number of different E. coli strains. The expression of CAV VP1 in E. coli was significantly increased when VP1 was fused with GST protein rather than a His-tag. By optimizing the various rare amino acid codons within the N-terminus of the VP1 protein, the expression level of the VP1 protein in E. coli BL21(DE3)-pLysS was further increased significantly. The highest protein expression level obtained was 17.5 g/L per liter of bacterial culture after induction with 0.1 mM IPTG for 2 h. After purification by GST affinity chromatography, the purified full-length VP1 protein produced in this way was demonstrated to have good antigenicity and was able to be recognized by CAV-positive chicken serum in an ELISA assay.ConclusionsPurified recombinant VP1 protein with the genes codons optimized in the N-terminal region has potential as chimeric protein that, when expressed in E. coli, may be useful in the future for the development of subunit vaccines and diagnostic tests.

Production of Functional Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) in Insect Cells Infected with an HGF-Recombinant Baculovirus in a Serum-Free Medium

Three insect cell lines, SL‐7B cells derived from Spodoptera litura, Sf9, and High Five (Hi‐5) cells, were used for the production of pro‐hepatocyte growth factor (pro‐HGF). Cells were cultured and then infected with a recombinant HGF‐containing baculovirus in a serum‐free medium. In SL‐7B cells, pro‐HGF is synthesized and excreted from the cells and late in infection is converted to a heterodimeric form of HGF even when the cells are grown in serum free medium. Conversion of a single‐chain form of HGF (pro‐HGF) into an HGF heterodimer was unexpected, as pro‐HGF is normally cleaved by a serum protease called HGF activator. The proliferation activity of heparin‐affinity‐purified HGF from serum‐free culture supernatant of SL‐7B cells is comparable to that obtained from HGF converted by serum proteases, suggesting that SL‐7B cells produce a functionally analogous protease to correctly process pro‐HGF. This work reports, for the first time, on the feasibility of properly processing pro‐HGF to form functional HGF by proteases from invertebrate cells in serum‐free media. Avoiding the supplementation of sera provides the advantages of a low production cost, zero contamination of infectious agents from sera, and simple downstream product purification. Experimental results further demonstrate that the conversion of pro‐HGF by insect cells is cell‐line‐dependent, because proteases in Hi‐5 or Sf9 cells could not process pro‐HGF as efficiently and properly as those in SL‐7B cells.

Production and purification of immunogenic virus-like particles formed by the chimeric infectious bursal disease virus structural protein, rVP2H, in insect larvae

Abstract This study describes an alternative approach to produce rVP2H protein using insect larvae of the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni as hosts for the expression of the protein. The chimeric rVP2H protein, having an extra six histidine residues at the C-terminus of the VP2, a structural protein of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), is a vaccine candidate for the prevention of infectious bursal disease. The chimeric rVP2H protein was expressed in insect larvae in form of virus-like particles, in which they maintain their native immunogenic properties. The expression level of rVP2H protein in T. ni larvae was estimated to be approximately 0.4 mg/g of larvae or 0.2 mg/larvae. The rVP2H particles have a uniform morphology of dodecahedral structure with a size of 23 nm in diameter, and the particles could be affinity-purified in one step with immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) from the larvae homogenate. The recovery of rVP2H protein was approximately 55% following IMAC and the protein was obtained with a purity of around 90%. An additional purification step of ammonium sulphate precipitation was added to speed up the process of microfiltration and ultrafiltration of the homogenate prior to IMAC. This step enhanced the final purity of rVP2H protein to 99%, demonstrating that the purification protocol developed herein was a powerful strategy for obtaining highly pure rVP2H protein from insect larvae. The immunogenicity and protective properties of the larvae-derived rVP2H protein were evaluated using a chicken protection assay. When larvae-derived rVP2H protein was intramuscularly injected into specific-pathogen-free chickens (20 μg/bird), high titres of virus-neutralizing antibodies were induced and the chickens were protected from the infection of a very virulent strain of IBDV isolated locally.

Processing of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) polyprotein and self-assembly of IBDV-like particles in Hi-5 cells.

The capsid of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), with a size of 60–65 nm, is formed by an initial processing of polyprotein (pVP2‐VP4‐VP3) by VP4, subsequent assemblage of pVP2 and VP3, and the maturation of VP2. In Sf9 cells, the processing of polyprotein expressed was restrained in the stage of VP2 maturation, leading to a limited production of capsid, i.e., IBDV‐like particles (VLPs). In the present study, another insect cell line, High‐Five (Hi‐5) cells, was demonstrated to efficiently produce VLPs. Meanwhile, in this system, polyprotein was processed to pVP2 and VP3 protein and pVP2 was further processed to the matured form of VP2. Consequently, Hi‐5 cells are better in terms of polyprotein processing and formation of VLPs than Sf9. In addition to the processing of pVP2, VP3 was also degraded. With insufficient intact VP3 protein present for the formation of VLPs, the excessive VP2 form subviral particles (SVPs) with a size of about 25 nm. The ratio of VLPs to SVPs is dependent on the multiplicity of infections (MOIs) used, and an optimal MOI is found for the production of both particles. VLPs were separated from SVPs with a combination of ultracentrifugation and gel‐filtration chromatography, and a large number of purified particles of both were obtained. In conclusion, the insect cell lines and MOIs were optimized for the production of VLPs, and pure VLPs with morphology similar to that of the wild‐type viruses can be effectively prepared. The efficient production and purification of VLPs benefits not only the development of an antiviral vaccine against IBDV but also the understanding of the structure of this avian virus that is economically important.

A pH-based fed-batch process for the production of a chimeric recombinant infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) structural protein (rVP2H) in insect cells.

Abstract For the production of a rVP2H vaccine, to protect young chickens from infection by an infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), Trichoplusia ni (Hi-5) cells were cultured in a 500-ml spinner flask to evaluate the productivity of the rVP2H protein. The spinner flask, with a working volume of 500 ml, was equipped with a sparger to bubble the air at a flow rate of 0.134 vvm to provide adequate oxygen transfer. The oxygen transfer rate coefficient, k L a , was 24/h under these conditions. Hi-5 cells were grown and then infected with a recombinant rVP2H expressing baculovirus in spinner flasks. The Hi-5 cells generated a higher rVP2H yield at a low cell density (1×10 6 cells/ml) than at higher cell density (2–3×10 6 cells/ml). Nutrient depletion, especially glucose and glutamine, caused a decrease in specific productivity (i.e. production per cell) with increase in cell density at infection. A pH-based fed-batch culture method, in which the increase in pH, signalled by a ‘metabolic switch’, was used as an indicator for initiating supplemental glucose and glutamine application. By applying this method, the production of rVP2H was increased from 25 to 54 mg/l when the Hi-5 cells were infected at a cell density of 2×10 6 cells/ml. This feeding strategy was carried out with simple instruments and could facilitate a significant increased-yield of rVP2H protein in spinner flasks. This technique should be beneficial in research laboratories employing the Hi-5 cells/baculovirus expression system as a rapid and efficient system for the production of foreign proteins.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of immunogenic virus-like particles formed by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) structural protein VP2.

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) causes a highly contagious disease in young chicks and leads to significant economic losses in the poultry industry. VP2 protein, which consists of 452 amino-acid residues, is the primary immunogen of IBDV and contains the epitopes responsible for eliciting neutralizing antibodies. When the chimeric VP2 protein (rVP2H) of a local IBDV strain P3009 was expressed alone using the baculovirus system, virus-like particles of approximately 23 nm in diameter formed spontaneously. Highly pure rVP2H particles, obtained using ammonium sulfate precipitation, immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography, were successfully crystallized using the vapour-diffusion method. These crystals, with a maximum dimension of 0.4 mm, diffracted X-rays to 4.5 A resolution, but data were only collected to 6 A. Preliminary analysis of the diffraction data showed that the rVP2H crystals belong to the cubic space group P2(1)3, with unit-cell parameter 323.1 A. The icosahedral symmetry of the particles is clearly seen in the self-rotation function maps, with dyads and triads coincident with the crystallographic axes. Each asymmetric unit contains 1/3 of the particle, or 20 rVP2H subunits, and there are four particles in a unit cell, probably in a tetrahedral arrangement.