Phylogeny of SARS-CoV as inferred from complete genome comparison

SARS-CoV, as the pathogeny of severe acute respi-ratory syndrome (SARS), seems to be the first coronavirus that is lethal to humans. Coronavirus (family Coronaviri-dae, genus Coronavirus) is an enveloped, single-stranded plus sense RNA virus whose genome has approximately 30 kb size. Whereas coronaviruses may cause severe dis-ease in animals, coronaviruses human strains only cause mild diseases until SARS-CoV was discovered. To date, SARS-CoV genomes from 12 isolates have been comp…     

SARS冠状病毒的起源和进化初探

发展了一种研究基因序列进化的随机替代模型,根据一组从某个最近共同祖先演化而来的若干序列,可以预测此共同祖先序列,并计算随机替代概率矩阵,确定了从祖先序列的各个碱基到进化序列的各个碱基之间的替代概率。将这一模型应用于分析包括SARS冠状病毒在内的4种冠状病毒全基因组的演化规律,确定了在若干较保守的编码蛋白基因序列中同义替代位点的最近共同祖先序列以及分歧进化后的累计同义替代数目。结果表明,SARS病毒和其他几种已知的冠状病毒具有相当的进化历程,但存在不同的进化途径,支持了SARS病毒在造成此次大规模感染人体之前已经历了较长的进化历程的猜测。     

基于密码子使用模式的冠状病毒亲缘关系分析

重症急性呼吸综合症(severe acute respiratorysyndrome,SARS),临床表现为非典型肺炎.由于SARS具有很高的传染性和一种新型的冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)被认为是引起SARS的病原体.SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)属于巢状病毒目(OrderN idovirales),冠状病毒科(Fam ily Coronaviri-dae),冠状病     

Bioinformatical study on the proteomics and evolution of SARS-CoV

A novel coronavirus has been identified as the causative agent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). For all the SARS-CoV associated proteins derivated from the SARS-CoV genome, the physiochemical properties such as the molecular weight, isoelectric point and extinction coefficient of each protein were calculated. The transmembrane segments and subeellular localization (SubLoeation) prediction and conserved protein motifs search against database were employed to analyze the function of SARS-CoV proteins. Also, the homology protein sequence alignment and evolutionary distance matrix calculation between SARS-CoV associated proteins and the corresponding proteins of other coronaviruses were employed to identify the classification and phylogenetic relationship between SARS-CoV and other coronaviruses. The results showed that SARS-CoV is a novel coronavirus which is different from any of the three previously known groups of coronviruses, but it is closer to BoCoV and MHV than to other coronaviruses. This study is in aid of experimental determination of SARS-CoV proteomics and the development of antiviral vaccine.     

现有病毒疫苗用于防治新冠肺炎的可行性分析

新冠肺炎的爆发严重危害人类健康和公共卫生安全,已引起全球范围内的高度关注。预防病毒性疾病最有效的措施是接种疫苗,但是目前还没有专门针对新型冠状病毒的疫苗。考虑到疫情的严重性,对同为RNA病毒的流感病毒、其他冠状病毒相关疫苗的研究进行了综述,并通过对这些病毒氨基酸水平的序列比对发现,新冠病毒的棘突糖蛋白与H1N1、H3N2、B型Victoria系和B型Yamagata系流感病毒的血凝素糖蛋白之间具有一定的相似性。由于血凝素糖蛋白是目前商用流感疫苗的主要作用靶点,因此推测,现有季节性商用流感疫苗在新冠肺炎的防控方面可能也具有一定的应用潜能。除此之外,由于新冠病毒与SARS冠状病毒的棘突糖蛋白和核蛋白之间均具有高度的相似性,而SARS冠状病毒疫苗又主要从上述两种蛋白研制而来,因此建议在短期内,可以将目前正在研制的SARS冠状病毒疫苗作为新冠病毒特效疫苗的替代物来使用。     

SARS冠状病毒的系统发育基因组研究

对SARS冠状病毒(SARS Coronavirus,SARS-CoV)进行了系统发育基因组研究.应用CLUSAL-X1.83程序,将来自GenBank数据库的全部102条SARS-CoV全基因组序列记录做多序列联配,然后采用MEGA3软件包进行系统发育基因组分析,使用邻接法构建系统发育树.根据该系统树,SARS-CoV全基因组记录可以分为2类.第1类包括2个来源于动物的分离株;第2类则覆盖了所有的人源分离株,并且可进一步分为2组,其中第1组包括5个来自于广东省的分离株,而第2组则覆盖了其他的来自于香港、内地和海外的分离株.这一分支格局代表了SARS-CoV从兽到人、从广东到全球的传播过程,并且基因组的替代变异幅度在传播过程中由大到小,逐渐稳定下来.还详细地给出了区分上述2群和2组的分子标签,为新毒株的鉴定和分型提供了理论依据.     

SARS的研究进展

2003年3月,发现SARS病原是一种从未在人类或动物中发现过的新的冠状病毒.其基因组结构与其他的冠状病毒相似,由29727核苷酸组成,有11个开放阅读框.通过多基因分析序列比较说明,SARS冠状病毒与已知的冠状病毒无关.针对SARS冠状病毒的各种特征及研究进展进行了综述.     

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is a functional receptor for the SARS coronavirus

Spike (S) proteins of coronaviruses, including the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), associate with cellular receptors to mediate infection of their target cells. Here we identify a metallopeptidase, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), isolated from SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-permissive Vero E6 cells, that efficiently binds the S1 domain of the SARS-CoV S protein. We found that a soluble form of ACE2, but not of the related enzyme ACE1, blocked association of the S1 domain with Vero E6 cells. 293T cells transfected with ACE2, but not those transfected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 receptors, formed multinucleated syncytia with cells expressing S protein. Furthermore, SARS-CoV replicated efficiently on ACE2-transfected but not mock-transfected 293T cells. Finally, anti-ACE2 but not anti-ACE1 antibody blocked viral replication on Vero E6 cells. Together our data indicate that ACE2 is a functional receptor for SARS-CoV.     

The phylogenetic history of immunodeficiency viruses

Knowledge of the phylogenetic history of the human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2) is important for our understanding of the epidemiology of AIDS, the disease caused by these viruses. Reconstruction of the evolutionary tree is hampered, however, by two problems. One is the high variation in nucleotide sequence between the known HIV isolates which can create formidable difficulties in identifying homologous genomic sites that may be used in a molecular phylogenetic reconstruction. Another impediment has been the lack of unequivocal time calibration points: there is only a sparse 'fossil record' for HIV and limited historical epidemiological data. We have largely overcome these difficulties by: (1) a thorough optimal-sequence alignment analysis; (2) the inclusion of sequences of an early (1976) HIV-1 isolate, a recent (1986) HIV-2 isolate and two simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) along with five other HIV-1 isolates; and (3) the reconstruction of a minimum-length evolutionary tree based on the envelope-gene variable positions. We conclude that HIV-1 may have evolved from its common ancestor with HIV-2 as recently as 40 years ago.     

Protein Subcellular Localization Prediction and Genomic Polymorphism Analysis of the SARS Coronavirus

Introduction In March 2003, a novel coronavirus (CoV) was dis-covered in association with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)[1-3]. The complete genome sequence of several SARS-CoV isolates was soon determined and characterized[4,5]. Comparison of variant SARS-CoV genome sequences has identified certain genetic signatures that can be used to trace sources of infection[6]. Vaccines are now being devel-oped and molecular modeling has suggested that modi-fied rhinovir…     

The ring of life provides evidence for a genome fusion origin of eukaryotes

Genomes hold within them the record of the evolution of life on Earth. But genome fusions and horizontal gene transfer seem to have obscured sufficiently the gene sequence record such that it is difficult to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree of life. Here we determine the general outline of the tree using complete genome data from representative prokaryotes and eukaryotes and a new genome analysis method that makes it possible to reconstruct ancient genome fusions and phylogenetic trees. Our analyses indicate that the eukaryotic genome resulted from a fusion of two diverse prokaryotic genomes, and therefore at the deepest levels linking prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the tree of life is actually a ring of life. One fusion partner branches from deep within an ancient photosynthetic clade, and the other is related to the archaeal prokaryotes. The eubacterial organism is either a proteobacterium, or a member of a larger photosynthetic clade that includes the Cyanobacteria and the Proteobacteria.     

SARS冠状病毒及相关病毒的分子系统学分析

根据SARS冠状病毒及其相关病毒的基因组核酸序列和3种不同蛋白质序列，应用最大简约法和最小进化法重建系统发育树；并对SARS冠状病毒的11个推测蛋白质(ORF)做BLAST分析。结果表明，SARS冠状病毒和鼠肝炎病毒——牛冠状病毒分支构成姊妹群。其单系群性质得到强有力的统计学支持。这暗示了SARS的爆发可能源自种间屏障的突破事件，该病毒天然宿主可能为猪、牛或鼠。SARS冠状病毒与已知的人冠状病毒分属冠状病毒科的不同分支，因此致病机制可能有很大不同。3个基因的系统树分支格局的一致性表明：SARS冠状病毒这3个主要基因与其他冠状病毒间不存在重组，但全部11个ORF的BLAST分析却认为其基因组上一些小的区段可能与其他病毒存在重组。     

Molecular cloning and polymorphism of the human immune deficiency virus type 2

We recently reported the isolation of a novel retrovirus, the human immune deficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2, previously named LAV-2), from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) originating from West Africa. This virus is related to HIV-1, the causative agent of the AIDS epidemic now spreading in Central and East Africa, as well as the USA and Europe (see ref. 3 for review) both by its morphology and by its tropism and in vitro cytopathic effect on CD4 (T4) positive cell lines and lymphocytes. But preliminary hybridization experiments indicated that there are substantiated differences between the sequences of the two genomes. Furthermore, the proteins of HIV-1 and HIV-2 have different sizes and their serological cross-reactivity is restricted to the major core protein, as the envelope glycoproteins of HIV-2 are not immunoprecipitated by HIV-1-positive sera. We now report the molecular cloning of the complete 9.5-kilobase (kb) genome of HIV-2, the observation of restriction site polymorphism between different isolates, and a preliminary analysis of the relationship of HIV-2 with other human and simian retroviruses.     

Identification of a protein encoded by the vpu gene of HIV-1

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) is the aetiological agent of AIDS. The virus establishes lytic, latent and non-cytopathic productive infection in cells in culture. The complexity of virus-host cell interaction is reflected in the complex organization of the viral genome. In addition to the genes that encode the virion capsid and envelope proteins and the enzymes required for proviral synthesis and integration common to all retroviruses, HIV-1 is known to encode at least four additional proteins that regulate virus replication, the tat, art, sor and 3' orf proteins, as well as a protein of unknown function from the open reading frame called R. Close examination of the nucleic acid sequences of the genomes of multiple HIV isolates raised the possibility that the virus encodes a previously undetected additional protein. Here we report that HIV-1 encodes a ninth protein and that antibodies to this protein are detected in the sera of people infected with HIV-1. This protein distinguishes HIV-1 isolates from the other human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-2 and SIV) that do not have the capacity to encode a similar protein.     

25株SIV/HIV的进化分析及意义

选取了16株SIV和9株HIV毒株,以人T细胞白血病病毒HTLV-1为outgroup,使用CLUSTAL X、PHYLIP及MEGA三种软件对它们的基因组序列及三个主要蛋白(Env,Gag,Pol)序列分别进行了比对分析,用Neighbor-Joining(N-J)方法和Maximum Likelihood(ML)方法分别构建出进化树.结果显示HIV起源于SIV,其中HIV-1的起源与SIVcpz的几种亚型高度相关,HIV-2的起源与SIVsm及SIVmm高度相关.     

冠状病毒主蛋白酶及其化学抑制剂研究进展

一个新的冠状病毒已经被鉴定为急性呼吸道综合症(SARS)的病原体,控制该病毒复制复合体活性的主蛋白酶(Mpro或3CLpro)将很可能成为开发针对SARS特效治疗药物的靶位点.综述了人冠状病毒株229E(HCoV 229E)和一种在猪体内引发传染性胃肠炎的病毒(TGEV)的Mpro的晶体结构以及以此为基础构建的SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)同源蛋白酶的空间结构模型.通过对这些同源蛋白酶的结构及其与已知的蛋白酶化学抑制剂的结合特征进行分析后发现Mpro的底物结合位点具有惊人的保守性,这种保守性也被重组SARS-CoV Mpro能介导的TGEV Mpro的底物剪切实验所进一步证实.分子模型表明已有的鼻病毒3Cpro抑制剂经过改进后或许能用于SARS的治疗.     

Molecular characterization of H3N2 and H4N6 subtypes avian influenza viruses isolated from mallards in Poyang Lake, China in 2010

Poyang Lake is the largest inland freshwater lake in China and contains many species of wild birds and waterfowls.We conducted a survey of avian influenza viruses in nine semi-artificial waterfowl farms in Poyang Lake during January to March of 2010.Out of 1036 cloacal swabs collected,three H3N2 and one H4N6 influenza viruses were isolated from healthy mallards.All the isolates were genetically and phylogenetically characterized.The analysis of putative HA cleavage sites showed that all the four isolates possessed the molecular characteristics(QTRGL for H3N2 viruses,PEKASR for H4N6 virus) of lowly pathogenic avian influenza(LPAI) virus.The phylogenetic analysis of the viral genomes showed that all four virus isolates clustered in the Eurasian clade of influenza viruses.The M gene of the viruses possessed the highest homology with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses.In addition,co-infection of H3N2 and H4N6 in the same farm was observed.And interestingly,we isolated two subtypes viruses(H3N2 and H4N6) and their progeny virus(H3N2) with evidence of genome reassortment from the same farm,in which the PB1 and PB2 gene segments of H4N6 replaced those of the H3N2 strain.The results of animal infection experiments showed that all the four isolated viruses were lowly pathogenic to chickens and not pathogenic to mice,which was consistent with the results of genetic analysis.     

Human infection by genetically diverse SIVSM-related HIV-2 in west Africa.

Our understanding of the biology and origins of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) derives from studies of cultured isolates from urban populations experiencing epidemic infection and disease. To test the hypothesis that such isolates might represent only a subset of a larger, genetically more diverse group of viruses, we used nested polymerase chain reactions to characterize HIV-2 sequences in uncultured mononuclear blood cells of two healthy Liberian agricultural workers, from whom virus isolation was repeatedly unsuccessful, and from a culture-positive symptomatic urban dweller. Analysis of pol, env and long terminal repeat regions revealed the presence of three highly divergent HIV-2 strains, one of which (from one of the healthy subjects) was significantly more closely related to simian immunodeficiency viruses infecting sooty mangabeys and rhesus macaques (SIVSM/SIVMAC) than to any virus of human derivation. This subject also harboured multiply defective viral genotypes that resulted from hypermutation of G to A bases. Our results indicate that HIV-2, SIVSM and SIVMAC comprise a single, highly diverse group of lentiviruses which cannot be separated into distinct phylogenetic lineages according to species of origin.     

Sequence of simian immunodeficiency virus and its relationship to the human immunodeficiency viruses

The characterization of HIV-1 (HTLV-III/LAV), the human retrovirus associated with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) has led to the identification of a group of related human and simian retroviruses which also infect CD4-bearing T lymphocytes. Simian T-lymphotropic virus type III (simian immodeficiency virus) from macaques (STLV-IIIMAC) induces symptoms similar to those of AIDS in infected macaques, but isolates from African green monkeys (STLV-IIIAGM) and mangabeys (STLV-IIMM) appear to be non-pathogenic in these animals. A human virus immunologically related to STLV-IIIAGM (HTLV-IV), reported to have been isolated from healthy humans, has been shown to be almost identical to STLV-IIIAGM, which has called into question the independent origin of these viruses. Here we report the complete DNA sequence of STLV-IIIAGM and analyse its relationship with the genomes of the HTLV-IIIB strain of HIV-1, HIV-2ROD (previously called LAV-2) and several ungulate lentiretroviruses. STLV-IIIAGM and HIV-2 are closely related, and more distantly related to HIV-1.     

Infection of SARS-CoV on juvenile and adult Brandt’s vole Microtus brandtii

We studied the infectious effect of SARS-CoV virus on juvenile and adult Brandt‘s Vole (Microtus brandtii) by nasal cavity spraying method (CCIDso is 10^5.7). SARS virus caused serious deaths in adults. The death adults demonstrated hemorrhage from mouth, nasal cavity and intestine, hemorrhageious interstitial pneumonia and gore in liver, spleen and kidney. The survival adults demonstrated local hemorrhagic spot in lung and emphysema, but the other organs showed no pathological abnormality. SARS virus caused no deaths in juveniles, but locomotion of infected juveniles became slower. In the early stage, there was local pneumonia in lung and SARS viruses were isolated from the pathological tissue. Only one control juvenile lived and the infected juvenile showed local pneumonia in lung. The results demonstrated that SARS-CoV infected Brandt‘s vole seriously and adults were more susceptive to SARS-CoV than juveniles. The Brandt‘s vole may be a potential animal model for SARS research.