• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 1992

This study aimed to investigate possible cause of slow and abnormal growth of oyster mushrooms, Pleurotus florida and P. ostreatus collected from bad crop farms. Spherical virus particles of 30 nm in diameter from P. florida, 23 nm particles from P. ostreatus, and both 23 and 30 nm particles were also found from interspecies mated culture between P. florida and P. osreatus. The virus particles might be associated with the bad crop of Pleurotus species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1335-1343
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• 2022

COVID-19 is an emerging disease that poses a severe threat to global public health. As such, there is an urgent demand for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Here, we describe a virus-like nanoparticle candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 produced by an E. coli expression system. The fusion protein of a truncated ORF2-encoded protein of aa 439~608 (p170) from hepatitis E virus CCJD-517 and the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 were expressed, purified and characterized. The antigenicity and immunogenicity of p170-RBD were evaluated in vitro and in Kunming mice. Our investigation revealed that p170-RBD self-assembled into approximately 24 nm virus-like particles, which could bind to serum from vaccinated people (p < 0.001) and receptors on cells. Immunization with p170-RBD induced the titer of IgG antibody vaccine increased from 14 days post-immunization and was significantly enhanced after a booster immunization at 28 dpi, ultimately reaching a peak level on 42 dpi with a titer of 4.97 log₁₀. Pseudovirus neutralization tests showed that the candidate vaccine induced a strong neutralizing antibody response in mice. In this research, we demonstrated that p170-RBD possesses strong antigenicity and immunogenicity and could be a potential candidate for use in future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.125-129
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• 1993

An acute fatal infectious disease in rabbits has been outbroken in Korea since 1985. This disease has been characterized as an acute hepatitis caused by viruses. However, viral pathogenesis in rabbit viral hepatitis leading to sudden death remain unclear. This report dealt with the electron microscopic findings on the spleen of experimentally infected rabbits, because spleen is one of the affected organs which have high titer of virus by a haemagglutination test. A typical crystalline array of virus was not found in the splenic cells of infected rabbits with acute hepatitis. Virus-like particles were seen within the phagosome of macrophages of the spleen. Ultrastructural changes in the spleen were severe with the lapse of time after inoculation. From these results, virus-like particles in the spleen were supposed to be phagocytosed by macrophage during viremia, while active replication of virus occurred in the liver. It was concluded that sudden death in this viral disease was caused by hepatic coma and/or circulatory disturbance.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.207-210
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• 1992

Oral infection of colostrum-deprived, neonatal piglets with porcine enterovirus serotype 3 can result in hepatic lesions with a short incubation period. In the thin section of the affected liver, crystalline arrays of virus particles characteristic of picornavirus were identified in the sinusoid endothelial cells and Kupffer cells. There were also cytoplasmic aggregates of electron- dense, virus-like particles in the hepatocytes. These findings suggest that porcine enterovirus serotype 3 has hepatotropism as well as neurotropism.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.83-99
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• 2000

A defective HIV-1 helper virus DNA, pHyPC, was assembled by deleting the RNA packaging signal, env, nef and the 3'LTR sequences. HIV-1 like virus particles that carry the HIV-1 receptor, CD4 were generated by co expression of pHyPC and plasmid DNAs encoding different chimeric CD4 proteins. The CD4 particles, sharing the CD4 ectodomain, precisely fused to different membrane anchors. CD4(+) particles specifically bound to HIV-1 Env expressing cells, but any signs of infection into these cells were not detected. Binding was only partially blocked by either polyclonal anti-CD4 antibodies or by high concentrations of soluble CD4. Surprisingly, CD4(+) particles also adsorbed to HeLa, CHO, NIH3T3 and COS-7 cells in the absence of HIV-1 Env expression. Adsorption was comparable in strength and speed to the highly specific CD4-Env interaction. CD4(-) particles exhibited only background levels of binding. Cell binding was CD4. dependent, but it was independent of the cell type from which the CD4(+) particles originated. Interestingly, CD4-dependent/Env-independent binding was only found when CD4 was present on virus particles. This suggests that the micro-environment of CD4 on virus particles uniquely expose this new cell binding activity. Its high affinity could explain in part why infection of Env(+) cells by CD4(+) particles was not detected. Further experiments will be required to evaluate whether this strong membrane interaction could represent one step in the multiple-step viral entry process.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15.1-15.13
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• 2023

Background: Inactivated vaccines are limited in preventing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) due to safety problems. Recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) are an excellent candidate for a novel vaccine for preventing FMD, given that VLPs have similar immunogenicity as natural viruses and are replication- and infection-incompetent. Objectives: The 3C protease and P1 polyprotein of type O FMD virus (FDMV) was expressed in yeast Hansenula polymorpha to generate self-resembling VLPs, and the potential of recombinant VLPs as an FMD vaccine was evaluated. Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with recombinant purified VLPs using CpG oligodeoxynucleotide and aluminum hydroxide gel as an adjuvant. Cytokines and lymphocytes from serum and spleen were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, enzyme-linked immunospot assay, and flow cytometry. Results: The VLPs of FMD were purified successfully from yeast protein with a diameter of approximately 25 nm. The immunization of mice showed that animals produced high levels of FMDV antibodies and a higher level of antibodies for a longer time. In addition, higher levels of interferon-γ and CD4⁺ T cells were observed in mice immunized with VLPs. Conclusions: The expression of VLPs of FMD in H. polymorpha provides a novel strategy for the generation of the FMDV vaccine.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.429-435
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• 2018

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite responsible for causing toxoplasmosis. Preventive measures for toxoplasmosis are currently lacking and as such, development of novel vaccines are of urgent need. In this study, we generated 2 virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccines expressing T. gondii rhoptry protein 4 (ROP4) or rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18) using influenza matrix protein (M1) as a core protein. Mice were intranasally immunized with VLPs vaccines and after the last immunization, mice were challenged with ME49 cysts. Protective efficacy was assessed and compared by determining serum antibody responses, body weight changes and the reduction of cyst counts in the brain. ROP18 VLPs-immunized mice induced greater levels of IgG and IgA antibody responses than those immunized with ROP4 VLPs. ROP18 VLPs immunization significantly reduced body weight loss and the number of brain cysts in mice compared to ROP4 VLPs post-challenge. These results indicate that T. gondii ROP18 VLPs elicited better protective efficacy than ROP4 VLPs, providing important insight into vaccine design strategy.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.565-572
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• 2021

Toxoplasma gondii ME49 infections are typically diagnosed by serological tests. However, serological diagnosis of RH strain-induced toxoplasmosis remains unknown. In order to develop seradiagnosis of above 2 kinds of infections, we generated recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying the T. gondii rhoptry protein 4 (ROP4) and evaluated their potential in T. gondii ME49 or RH strain infection diagnostics. Mice were orally infected with either the tachyzoites of T. gondii (RH) or cysts of T. gondii (ME49) at various dosages, and sera were collected at regular intervals. ELISA-based serological tests were performed to assess IgG, IgM, and IgA antibody responses against ROP4 VLP antigen and tissue lysate antigen (TLA). Compared to TLA, IgG, IgM, and IgA levels to ROP4 VLP antigen were significantly higher in the sera of T. gondii RH-infected mice 1 and 2 week post-infection (PI). T. gondii-specific IgG antibody was detected at 1, 2, 4, and 8 week PI in the T. gondii ME49-infected mice with infection dose-dependent manner. These results indicated that the ROP4 VLP antigen was highly sensitive antigens detecting T. gondii RH and ME49 antibodies at an early stage.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.120-127
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• 1990

The zoospores of Polymyxa graminis known as vector of barley yellow mosaic virus(BYMV) were found from the rootlets of diseased barley plants. The X-bodies in the lower epidermis of diseased leaf tissues were reddish under fluorescence microscopy. The shape of virus particles was flexuous rod and 300-1,000 nm in length. The pinwheel structures, cylindrical inclusion bodies, ring-form inclusion bodies, and crystalline lattice-like structure were found together with virus particles in the cytoplasm of diseased leaf tissues. Generally, intracellular organelles in the diseased barley leaf tissues infected with BYMV were either not well-developed or degenerated.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2008

Studies with the transmission electron microscope were used to detect and attempt to identify viruses infecting sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) and other Ipomoea species. Flexuous-rods, short curved-rods, and spherical virus-like particles were observed in cells of symptomatic plants. Also, various cytopathic changes such as crystals, vesicles, fibril structures, and cylindrical inclusions were observed. The present study showed that some of these cytopathic changes were associated with some viral groups, which might be helpful in diagnosis.