• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2004

Background: To develop a novel treatment strategy for hepatitis B virus infection, a major cause of liver chirosis and cancer, we aimed to make human monoclonal antibodies inhibiting RNase H activity of P protein playing in important role in HBV replication. In this regard, phage display technology was employed and demonstrated as an efficient cloning method for human monoclonal antibody. So this study analysed the usability of human monoclonal antibody as protein based gene therapy. Methods: RNase H of HBV was expressed as fusion protein with maltose binding protein and purified with amylose resin column. Single chain Fv (scFv) phage antibody library was constructed by PCR cloning using total RNAs of PBMC from 50 healthy volunteers. Binders to RNase H were selected with BIAcore 2000 from the constructed library, and purified as soluble antibody fragment. The affinity and sequences of selected antibody fragments were analyzed with BIAcore and ABI automatic sequencer, respectively. And finally RNase H activity inhibiting assay was carried out. Results: Recombinant RNase H expressed in E. coli exhibited an proper enzyme activity. Naive library of $4.46{\times}10^9cfu$ was screened by BIAcore 2000. Two clones, RN41 and RN56, showed affinity of $4.5{\times}10^{-7}M$ and $1.9{\times}10^{-7}M$, respectively. But RNase H inhibiting activity of RN41 was higher than that of RN56. Conclusion: We cloned human monoclonal antibodies inhibiting RNase H activity of P protein of HBV. These antibodies can be expected to be a good candidate for protein-based antiviral therapy by preventing a replication of HBV if they can be expressed intracellularly in HBV-infected hepatocytes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.942-948
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• 2021

Canine influenza virus (CIV) induces acute respiratory disease in dogs. In this study, we aimed to determine the signaling pathways leading to the induction of IFN-β in a canine respiratory epithelial cell line (KU-CBE) infected with the H3N2 subtype of CIV. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) specific to pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and transcription factors were used to block the IFN-β induction signals in H3N2 CIV-infected KU-CBE cells. Among the PRRs, only the TLR3 and RIG-I expression levels significantly (p < 0.001) increased in CIV-infected cells. Following transfection with siRNA specific to TLR3 (siTLR3) or RIG-I (siRIG-I), the mRNA expression levels of IFN-β significantly (p < 0.001) decreased, and the protein expression of IFN-β also decreased in infected cells. In addition, co-transfection with both siTLR3 and siRIG-I significantly reduced IRF3 (p < 0.001) and IFN-β (p < 0.001) mRNA levels. Moreover, the protein concentration of IFN-β was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in cells co-transfected with both siTLR3 and siRIG-I than in cells transfected with either siTLR3 or siRIG-I alone. Also, the antiviral protein MX1 was only expressed in KU-CBE cells infected with CIV or treated with IFN-β or IFN-α. Thus, we speculate that IFN-β further induces MX1 expression, which might suppress CIV replication. Taken together, these data indicate that TLR3 and RIG-I synergistically induce IFN-β expression via the activation of IRF3, and the produced IFN-β further induces the production of MX1, which would suppress CIV replication in CIV-infected cells.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.361-364
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• 2004

Internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known to be essential for HCV replication and most conserved among HCV variants. Hence, IRES RNA is a good therapeutic target for RNA-based inhibitors, such as ribozymes. We previously proposed a new anti-HCV modulation strategy based on trans-splicing ribozymes, which can selectively replace HCV transcripts with a new RNA that exerts anti-HCV activity. To explore this procedure, sites which are accessible to ribozymes in HCV IRES were previously determined by employing an RNA mapping method in vitro. In this study, we evaluate the intracellular accessibility of the ribozymes by comparing the trans-splicing activ­ities in cells of several ribozymes targeting different sites of the HCV IRES RNA. We assessed the intra­cellular activities of the ribozymes by monitoring their target-specific induction degree of both reporter gene activity and cytotoxin expression. The ribozyme capable of targeting the most accessible site iden­tified by the mapping studies then harbored the most active trans-splicing activity in cells. These results suggest that the target sites predicted to be accessible are truly the most accessible in the cells, and thus, could be applied to the development of various RNA-based anti-HCV therapies.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2012

We report here that an ethanol extract of Tetracera scandens, a Vietnamese medicinal plant, has anti-HIV activity and possesses strong inhibitory activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RTase). Using a MT-4 cell-based assay, we found that the T. scandens extract inhibited effectively HIV virus replication with an $IC_{50}$ value in the range of 2.0-2.5 ${\mu}g$/ml while the cellular toxicity value (CC50) was more than 40-50 ${\mu}g$/ml concentration, thus yielding a minimum specificity index of 20-fold. Moreover, the anti-HIV efficacy of the T. scandens extract was determined to be due, in part, to its potent inhibitory activity against HIV-1 RTase activity in vitro. The inhibitory activity against the RTase was further confirmed by probing viral cDNA production, an intermediate of viral reverse transcription, in virus-infected cells using quantitative DNA-PCR analysis. Thus, these results suggest that T. scandens can be a useful source for the isolation and development of new anti-HIV-1 inhibitor(s).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.74.2-74
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• 2003

Arabidopsis infected with beet curly top virus (BCTV) has the systemic symptoms like stunting of Plant growth, curling of leaves and shoot tips, and callus induction. The regulation of sucrose metabolism by BCTV infection is essential for obtaining the energy source in the process of virus replication and symptom development. Sucrose metabolism-associated gene expression and biochemical enzyme activity were analyzed with the rossette leaves and inflorescencestems of BCTV infected Arabidopsis by the time course of 1, 7, 14, 21 day postinoculation. The expression of invertase and sucrose synthase genes ( encoding sucrose-cleaving enzymes )was increased and reversely the level of Atkin10a ( sucrose non-fermenting gene ) was decreased, resulting by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The biochemical analysis of invertase and sucrose synthase activity was performed. The activity of neutral invertase in the inflorescence stems was elevated remarkably. The photosynthetic response in the source of sucrose metabolism was consistent with the down-regulation of ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase gene, and lower activity than mock-inoculated plants. The levels of genes pertaining to the cell cycle, hormone, and biotic stress-related pathway showed an increase or a decrease dependent on viral symptoms. Therefore, sucrose sensing by BCTV infection can regulate the expression of sucrose metabolism-related key enzymes such as invertase and Atkin10a, and these gene products might influence to symptom development.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 1999

Mutants of the monopartite geminivirus beet curly top virus (BCTV) have been screened for infectivity, systemic movement, replication and symptom development in Arabidopsis thaliana. As known by coding for coat protein, R1 mutant was not infectious and did not move systemically. R2, R3 and L2/L3 mutants produced milder symptoms compared to wild type BCTV but the infectivity was reduced by 40% to 60%. R2 ORF is thought to be involved in the regulation of ssDNA and dsDNA accumulation because only dsDNA was accumulated on R2-infected organs. Disruption of ORF L4 resulted in reduced infections, but the viral DNA was accumulated in infected organs from roots to shoot tips as much as wild type BCTV on Sei-O. In addition, 4 mutants did not produce callus-like tissues on infected organs, suggesting that L4 ORF may play a role in the induction of host cell divisions by virus infection. This result was supported by the patterns of mRNA expression and promoter analysis of the cell cycle marker gene, cycl, on Arabidopsis. cycl mRNA was accumulated on symptomatic organs by wild type BCTV infections but not by L4 mutant. We conclude that the BCTV L4 ORF is essential for symptom developments, specially callus-like formation on infected organs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.386-390
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• 2006

Extensive research of the Potato virus X(PVX) has been performed in in vitro transcription system using the bacteriophage T7 promoter. We constructed an efficient T-DNA based binary vector, pSNU1, and modified vectors carrying PVX replicons. The suitability of the construct to transiently express PVX RNA using Agrobacterium tumefaciens was tested by analysis of infectivity in plants. The expressed PVX RNA was infectous and systemically spread in three plant species including Nicotiana benthamiana, N. tabacum cv. Xanthi-nc, and Capsicum annuum cv. Chilsungcho. The PVX full length construct, pSPVXp31, was caused severe mosaic symptoms on N. benthamiana, severe necrotic lesions on C. annuum while milder symptoms and delayed mosaic symptoms were appeared on the systemic leaves on N. tabaccum. RT-PCR analysis confirmed the presence of PVX RNAs on both inoculated and systemic leaves in all three plant species tested. Our results indicated that PVX replicons were efficiently expressed PVX RNA in at least three tested species. Further investigation win be needed to elucidate the mechanism of PVX replication, translation, movement and assembly/disassembly processes.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.155-160
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• 2002

A series of modified oligonucleotides containing a phosphorothioate (P=S) backbone and a six-membered azasugar (6-AZS) as a sugar substitute in a nucleotide were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus type I(HIV-l) in vitro without the aid of any transfecting agents. While P=S oligonucleotides with natural nucleotides had little anti-HIV-l activity, the six-membered azasugar nucleotide (6-AZN)-containing P=S oligonucleotides (AZPSONs) potently inhibited the HIV-l/SHIV replication and syncytium formation (ECso = 0.02-0.2 /lM) without cytotoxicity up to 100 /lM. DBM-2198, the most effective in anti-HIV-l activity among the AZPSONs, consists of random sequence and five 6¬AZNs evenly distributed in 18 nucleotides. DBM-2198 showed strong antiviral activity against, not only laboratory strains, but also primary isolates and even drug-resistant strains of HIV-I. DBM-2198 was much more effective than ddI or ddC in its anti-HIV-l activity in vitro. Particularly noteworthy is that the anti-HIV-l activity of DBM-2198 was better than that of AZT with respect to its long-lasting efficacy after a single treatment. Nevertheless, the antiviral activity of the AZPSONs was very specific to HIV-I. Poliovirus, or even simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), was not inhibited by the AZPSONs. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that AZPSON can be used as a safe and effective AIDS-therapeutic drug against a broad spectrum of HIV -1 strains.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.65-69
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• 1994

Light appears to be needed in the early and late function of the cyanophage of Synechococcus sp. and dark treatment during the first 2 hr of the replication cycle increased the virus yield to 200%. The burst size of the cyanophage multiplied in Synechococcus sp. in dark was 11% of that of control. The viral multiplication was reduced 2% in the presence of photosynthetic inhibitor, DCMU of $10^{-6}$ M, and nearly blocked in $10^{-4}$ M CCCP. These data suggested that the photosynthetic dependence of the cyanophage is greater than those of LPP-1 and AS-1, and smaller than SM-1.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.837-850
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• 2013

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a major pathogen of cattle, is a well-characterized pestivirus which has been used as a good model virus for HCV. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays a key role in the RNA replication process, thus it has been targeted for antivirus drugs. We employed two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D-QSAR) and molecular field analysis (MFA) to identify the molecular substructure requirements, and the particular characteristics resulted in increased inhibitory activity for the known series of compounds to act as effective BVDV inhibitors. The 2D-QSAR study provided the rationale concept for changes in the structure to have more potent analogs focused on the class of arylazoenamines, benzimidazoles, and acridine derivatives with an optimal subset of descriptors, which have significantly contributed to overall anti-BVDV activity. MFA represented the molecular patterns responsible for the actions of antiviral compound at their receptors. We conclude that the polarity and the polarizability of a molecule play a main role in the inhibitory activity of BVDV inhibitors in the QSAR modeling.