Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6141833 | Virology | 2007 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Key features of an ideal RNA-based vaccine against coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) are (i) limited genome replication/virus production (to minimize vaccine-related pathology) and (ii) abundant virus protein synthesis (to maximize immunogenicity). These attributes may apply to CVB3 RNAs lacking up to 250 nucleotides (nt) from their 5â² terminus; these RNAs do not give rise to infectious progeny, but they have been reported to retain the entire CVB3 IRES (mapped to nt â¼Â 432-639) and to produce large quantities of viral protein in transfected cells. Here, we constructed five 5â² RNA deletion variants that, to our surprise, failed to protect against CVB3 challenge. We investigated the reasons for this failure and conclude that (i) a 5â² terminal deletion as short as 32 nt abolishes CVB3 RNA replication in transfected cells; (ii) this deleted RNA, and others with longer deletions, do not direct abundant protein synthesis in transfected cells, probably as a consequence of their replicative incapacity; and (iii) the CVB3 IRES is substantially larger than previously thought, and its 5â² boundary lies between residues 76 and 125, very closely approximating that of the poliovirus IRES.
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Authors
Isabelle P. Hunziker, Christopher T. Cornell, J. Lindsay Whitton,