Generation of infectious and transmissible virions from a GB virus B full-length consensus clone in tamarins.
The strong similarity between GB virus B (GBV-B) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) makes tamarins infected by GBV-B an acceptable surrogate animal model for HCV infection. Even more attractive, for drug discovery purposes, is the idea of constructing chimeric viruses by inserting HCV genes of interest into a GBV-B genome frame. To accomplish this, infectious cDNA clones of both viruses must be available. The characterization of several HCV molecular clones capable of infecting chimpanzees has been published, whereas only one infectious GBV-B clone inducing hepatitis in tamarins has been reported so far. Here we describe the infection of tamarins by intrahepatic injection of RNA transcribed from a genomic GBV-B clone (FL-3) and transmission of the disease from infected to naive tamarins via serum inoculation. The disease resulting from both direct and secondary infection was characterized for viral RNA titre and hepatitis parameters as well as for viral RNA distribution in the hepatic tissue. Host humoral immune response to GBV-B antigens was also monitored. The progression of the disease was compared to that induced by intravenous injection of different amounts of the non-recombinant virus.
Sbardellati
Andrea
A
Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti (IRBM), Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy1.
Scarselli
Elisa
E
Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti (IRBM), Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy1.
Verschoor
Ernst
E
Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), PO Box 3306, 2280 GH Rijswijk, The Netherlands2.
De Tomassi
Amedeo
A
Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti (IRBM), Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy1.
Lazzaro
Domenico
D
Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti (IRBM), Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy1.
Traboni
Cinzia
C
Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti (IRBM), Via Pontina Km 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy1.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000209:etiology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012452:Saguinus; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics*
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral