Incorporation of dengue virus replicon into virus-like particles by a cell line stably expressing precursor membrane and envelope proteins of dengue virus type 2.
While virus-like particles (VLPs) containing subgenomic replicons, which can transduce replicons into target cells efficiently for studying viral replication and vectors of gene therapy and vaccine, have been established for several flaviviruses, none has been reported for the four serotypes of dengue virus, the causal agent of the most important arboviral diseases in this century. In this study, we successfully established a cell line stably expressing the precursor membrane/envelope (PrM/E) proteins of dengue virus type 2 (DENV2), which can package a DENV2 replicon with deletion of PrM/E genes and produce single-round infectious VLPs. Moreover, it can package a similar replicon of different serotype, dengue virus type 4, and produce infectious chimeric VLPs. To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time replicon-containing VLPs of dengue virus. Moreover, this convenient system has potential as a valuable tool to study encapsidation of dengue virus and to develop novel chimeric VLPs containing dengue virus replicon as vaccine in the future.
Lai
Chih-Yun
CY
Institute of Microbiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No.1 Sec.1 Jen-Ai Rd, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hu
Hsien-Ping
HP
King
Chwan-Chuen
CC
Wang
Wei-Kung
WK
D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002678:Chimera / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D012093:Replicon; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins