Biology subjects

Kamitani, W.

Publications and source records attributed to Kamitani, W..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Immunogenicity and safety of a live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate based on multiple attenuation mechanisms

mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were rapidly developed and effective during the pandemic. However, some limitations remain to be resolved, such as the short-lived induced immune response and certain adverse effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new vaccines that address these issues. While live-attenuated vaccines are a highly effective modality, they pose a risk of adverse effects, including virulence reversion. In the current study, we constructed a live-attenuated vaccine candidate, BK2102, combining naturally occurring virulence-attenuating mutations in the NSP14, NSP1, spike and ORF7-8 coding regions. Intranasal inoculation with BK2102 induced humoral and cellular immune responses in Syrian hamsters without apparent tissue damage in the lungs, leading to protection against a SARS-CoV-2 D614G and an Omicron BA.5 strains. The neutralizing antibodies induced by BK2102 persisted for up to 364 days, which indicated that they confer long-term protection against infection. Furthermore, we confirmed the safety of BK2102 using transgenic (Tg) mice expressing human ACE2 (hACE2), that are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. BK2102 did not kill the Tg mice, even when virus was administered at a dose of 106 plaque-forming units (PFU), while 102 PFU of the D614G strain or an attenuated strain lacking the furin cleavage site (FCS) of the spike was sufficient to kill mice. These results suggest that BK2102 is a promising live-vaccine candidate strain that confers long-term protection without significant virulence.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate: Protective immunity without serious lung lesions in Syrian hamsters

Live attenuated vaccines are generally highly effective. Here, we aimed to develop one against SARS-CoV-2, based on the identification of three types of temperature-sensitive (TS) strains with mutations in nonstructural proteins (nsp), impaired proliferation at 37-39{degrees}C, and the capacity to induce protective immunity in Syrian hamsters. To develop a live-attenuated vaccine, we generated a virus that combined all these TS-associated mutations (rTS-all), which showed a robust TS phenotype in vitro and high attenuation in vivo. The vaccine induced an effective cross-reactive immune response and protected hamsters against homologous or heterologous viral challenges. Importantly, rTS-all rarely reverted to the wild-type phenotype. By combining these mutations with an Omicron spike protein to construct a recombinant virus, protection against the Omicron strain was obtained. We show that immediate and effective live-attenuated vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 variants may be developed using rTS-all as a backbone to incorporate the spike protein of the variants.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Reverse Genetics with a Full-length Infectious cDNA Clone of Bovine Torovirus

Torovirus (ToV) has recently been classified in the new family Tobaniviridae, although it belonged to the Coronavirus (CoV) family historically. Reverse genetics systems for many CoVs have been established, but none exist for ToVs. Here, we describe a reverse genetics system using a full-length infectious cDNA clone of bovine ToV (BToV) in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). Recombinant BToV containing genetic markers had the same phenotype as wild-type (wt) BToV. To generate two types of recombinant virus, the Hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) gene was manipulated, since cell-adapted wtBToV generally loses the full-length HE (HEf), resulting in soluble HE (HEs). First, recombinant viruses with HEf and HA-tagged HEf or HEs genes were rescued; these showed no significant differences in cell growth, suggesting that HE is not essential for viral growth in cells. Then, recombinant virus in which HE was replaced by the Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) gene expressed EGFP in infected cells, but showed significantly reduced viral growth compared to wtBToV. Moreover, the recombinant virus readily deleted the EGFP gene after one passage. Interestingly, one variant with mutations in non-structural proteins (NSPs) showed improved EGFP expression and viral growth during serial passages, although it eventually deleted the EGFP gene, suggesting that these mutations contributed to EGFP gene acceptance. These recombinant viruses provide new insights regarding BToV and its reverse genetics will help advance understanding of this neglected pathogen. ImportanceToVs are diarrhea-causing pathogens that have been detected in many species, including humans. BToV has spread worldwide, leading to economic losses. We developed the first reverse genetics system for Tobaniviridae using a BAC-based BToV. Using this system, we showed that recombinant BToVs with HEf and HEs showed no significant differences in cell growth. In contrast, clinical BToVs generally lose the HE gene after a few passages but some recombinant viruses retained the HE gene for up to 20 passages, suggesting some benefits of HE retention. The EGFP gene of the recombinant viruses was unstable and was rapidly deleted, likely via negative selection. Interestingly, one virus variant with mutations in NSPs was more stable, resulting in improved EGFP-expression and viral growth, suggesting that the mutations contributed to some acceptance of the exogenous EGFP gene without clear positive selection. The recombinant BToVs and reverse genetics developed here are powerful tools for understanding fundamental viral processes and their pathogenesis and for developing BToV vaccines.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Establishment of a reverse genetics system for SARS-CoV-2 using circular polymerase extension reaction

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While the development of specific treatments and a vaccine is urgently needed, functional analyses of SARS-CoV-2 have been limited by the lack of convenient mutagenesis methods. In this study, we established a PCR-based, bacterium-free method to generate SARS-CoV-2 infectious clones. Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 could be rescued at high titer with high accuracy after assembling 10 SARS-CoV-2 cDNA fragments by circular polymerase extension reaction (CPER) and transfection of the resulting circular genome into susceptible cells. Notably, the construction of infectious clones for reporter viruses and mutant viruses could be completed in two simple steps: introduction of reporter genes or mutations into the desirable DNA fragments (~5,000 base pairs) by PCR and assembly of the DNA fragments by CPER. We hope that our reverse genetics system will contribute to the further understanding of SARS-CoV-2.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

The inhaled steroid ciclesonide blocks SARS-CoV-2 RNA replication by targeting viral replication-transcription complex in culture cells

We screened steroid compounds to obtain a drug expected to block host inflammatory responses and MERS-CoV replication. Ciclesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid, suppressed replication of MERS-CoV and other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, in cultured cells. The effective concentration (EC90) of ciclesonide for SARS-CoV-2 in differentiated human bronchial tracheal epithelial cells was 0.55 M. Ciclesonide inhibited formation of double membrane vesicles, which anchor the viral replication-transcription complex in cells. Eight consecutive passages of 43 SARS-CoV-2 isolates in the presence of ciclesonide generated 15 resistant mutants harboring single amino acid substitutions in non-structural protein 3 (nsp3) or nsp4. Of note, ciclesonide still suppressed replication of all these mutants by 90% or more, suggesting that these mutants cannot completely overcome ciclesonide blockade. These observations indicate that the suppressive effect of ciclesonide on viral replication is specific to coronaviruses, highlighting it as a candidate drug for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. ImportanceThe outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, is ongoing. To identify the effective antiviral agents to combat the disease is urgently needed. In the present study, we found that an inhaled corticosteroid, ciclesonide suppresses replication of coronaviruses, including beta-coronaviruses (MHV-2, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) and an alpha-coronavirus (HCoV-229E) in cultured cells. The inhaled ciclesonide is safe; indeed, it can be administered to infants at high concentrations. Thus, ciclesonide is expected to be a broad-spectrum antiviral drug that is effective against many members of the coronavirus family. It could be prescribed for the treatment of MERS, and COVID-19.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

The inhaled corticosteroid ciclesonide blocks coronavirus RNA replication by targeting viral NSP15

Steroid compounds, which are expected to have dual functions in blocking host inflammation and MERS-CoV replication, were screened from a chemical library. Within this library, ciclesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid, suppressed human coronavirus replication in cultured cells, but did not suppress replication of respiratory syncytial virus or influenza virus. The effective concentration of ciclesonide to block SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19) replication (EC90) was 6.3 M. After the eleventh consecutive MERS-CoV passage in the presence of ciclesonide, a resistant mutation was generated, which resulted in an amino acid substitution (A25V) in nonstructural protein (NSP) 15, as identified using reverse genetics. A recombinant virus with the mutation was also resistant to ciclesonide suppression of viral replication. These observations suggest that the effect of ciclesonide was specific to coronavirus, suggesting this is a candidate drug for treatment of patients suffering MERS or COVID-19.

microbiology↗