Production of single-round infectious chimeric flaviviruses with DNA-based Japanese encephalitis virus replicon

J Gen Virol. 2014 Jan;95(Pt 1):60-65. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.058008-0. Epub 2013 Oct 4.

Abstract

A method for rapid production of single-round infectious particles (SRIPs) of flavivirus would be useful for viral mutagenesis studies. Here, we established a DNA-based production system for SRIPs of flavivirus. We constructed a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) subgenomic replicon plasmid, which lacked the C-prM-E (capsid-pre-membrane-envelope) coding region, under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. When the JEV replicon plasmid was transiently co-transfected with a JEV C-prM-E expression plasmid into 293T cells, SRIPs were produced, indicating successful trans-complementation with JEV structural proteins. Equivalent production levels were observed when C and prM-E proteins were provided separately. Furthermore, dengue types 1-4, West Nile, yellow fever or tick-borne encephalitis virus prM-E proteins could be utilized for production of chimaeric flavivirus SRIPs, although the production was less efficient for dengue and yellow fever viruses. These results indicated that our plasmid-based system is suitable for investigating the life cycles of flaviviruses, diagnostic applications and development of safer vaccine candidates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Chimera / genetics*
  • Chimera / physiology
  • Defective Viruses / genetics
  • Defective Viruses / physiology
  • Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / genetics*
  • Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / physiology
  • Flavivirus / genetics
  • Flavivirus / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Plasmids / genetics*
  • Replicon*
  • Virus Replication