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Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pathways of viral gene expression were investigated during the acute phase of sensory ganglionic infection with HSV-1. To facilitate these studies we constructed KOS/62-3, an HSV-1 vector in which the Escherichia coli lac-Z gene was inserted behind both copies of the promoter for the viral latency-associated transcripts. Following footpad inoculation of mice with the virus, acutely infected dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were assayed by dual immunofluorescence for the presence of beta-galactosidase and HSV viral antigens. Most infected neurons stained for either beta-galactosidase or viral antigens. Less than 0.2% of neurons staining for viral antigens also expressed beta-galactosidase, and less than 10% of neurons expressing beta-galactosidase also stained for viral antigen. As a consequence of these findings, we propose that there are essentially two populations of HSV-infected neurons during the acute phase of ganglionic infection. In one population of neurons there is abundant viral protein synthesis but minimal transcription of latency-associated transcripts, whereas in a second population of neurons viral gene expression is severely restricted except for the synthesis of latency-associated transcripts. Since DRG neurons are a heterogeneous population of cells, we further sought to determine whether either pathway of gene expression was more likely to occur in a particular neuronal phenotype. To accomplish this, antibodies were used to characterize the DRG neuronal phenotypes acutely infected with the virus. The results indicated that the pathway of neuronal infection characterized by transcription of abundant latency-associated transcripts and minimal viral protein synthesis was much more likely to occur in DRG neurons expressing the cellular antigen SSEA-3. These data indicate that the neuron plays a major role in regulating the outcome of infection with HSV. Finally, we sought to determine whether DNA replication occurs in the course of establishment of a latent infection. We found that the DNA content of neurons latently infected with KOS(M) strain HSV was not affected by treatment with nucleotide analogues during the acute phase of ganglionic infection, suggesting that viral DNA replication does not occur during the establishment of latent infection.
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PMID:Pathways of viral gene expression during acute neuronal infection with HSV-1. 160 6

A genetically engineered herpes simplex virus variant was constructed for use as a stable gene vector for neurons. To inhibit replication, the agent possessed a deletion in the immediate early gene ICP4, and to minimize reactivation from the latent state, the gene encoding the latency-associated transcript was deleted. The E. coli beta-galactosidase gene under the control of the Maloney murine leukemia virus long terminal repeat promoter was inserted into the ICP4 region. When introduced into the peripheral nervous system, this virus established latent infections and stably expressed beta-galactosidase in primary sensory neurons. Expression of beta-galactosidase over a more limited time period was observed when the latent infection was established in motor neurons of the hypoglossal nucleus. Agents of this general design have considerable potential for use as gene vectors for studies of neuronal function and correction of genetic defects affecting neurons.
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PMID:A latent, nonpathogenic HSV-1-derived vector stably expresses beta-galactosidase in mouse neurons. 216 71

During latent infection by herpes simplex virus (HSV), an abundant latency-associated transcript (LAT) that is antisense to a predominant viral alpha gene (ICP0) is found localized in the nucleus of sensory neurons. We disrupted both copies of the LAT gene in the HSV-1 genome by insertion of the Escherichia coli lacZ gene under LAT promoter control. The resulting recombinant virus, RH142, does not express any detectable LAT in either latently or productively infected cells, although beta-galactosidase expression is readily detectable in sensory neurons of latently infected mice. Expression was first detectable 3 days postinoculation and continued at approximately the same level for the entire experimental period (56 days). beta-Galactosidase expression was not detectable at any time during RH142 replication in Vero cells. Thus, the kinetics of expression and cell-type specificity of the LAT gene are distinct from other HSV-1 genes that are expressed during productive growth. When latently infected trigeminal ganglia were explanted, RH142 reactivated from latency with the kinetics and an efficiency indistinguishable from the parental wild-type virus. These studies argue against any possible antisense regulatory mechanism of LAT in the regulation of viral gene expression or any role of LAT-encoded protein during the establishment or maintenance of latency in the mouse.
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PMID:Herpes simplex virus latent RNA (LAT) is not required for latent infection in the mouse. 255 49

The ability to direct foreign gene expression from the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genome during an acute or latent infection is a subject of increasing importance in the utilization of HSV vectors for gene therapy. Little is known about the types of transcription factors present in neurons or about whether different neuronal populations within a ganglion vary in their complement of these factors. With respect to HSV-1 latency, it is not known how or why the latency-associated transcript (LAT) promoter is able to function continually during latency while all other viral promoters are inactive. To further studies of these two phenomena, we constructed seven recombinant viruses with various promoter constructs driving expression of the lacZ reporter gene. Each construct was inserted into HSV-1 at the glycoprotein C locus, and recombinant viruses were evaluated for the ability to express beta-galactosidase during acute and latent viral infections in murine dorsal root ganglia. During acute infection of murine dorsal root ganglia, the activities of the promoters varied over a wide range. Constructs containing the murine metallothionein promoter (MT1), the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter, the Moloney murine leukemia virus long terminal repeat (LTR), or the region upstream of and including the HSV LAT core promoter (LAT) were active during the acute but not the latent phase of infection. The addition of transcription factor binding sites present in the upstream LAT region to the MT1 and LTR promoters (LAT-MT1 and LAT-LTR, respectively) significantly increased acute-phase expression. Despite these high initial rates of transcription, of all the promoter constructs only LAT-LTR was able to remain transcriptionally active after the establishment of a latent state. Thus, the Moloney murine leukemia virus LTR provides a DNA element which functions to prevent promoter inactivation during latency. An analogous HSV long-term-expression element is evidently not present in the upstream LAT promoter, indicating that the HSV long-term-expression function is provided by a region outside of that which gives high-level neuronal expression during the acute phase of infection.
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PMID:Long-term promoter activity during herpes simplex virus latency. 793 97

Avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), a herpesvirus, is a highly contagious pathogen that causes an upper respiratory tract infection in chickens. It is one of the major problems in the poultry industry worldwide. Current vaccines are not satisfactory due to the induction of latent infection. Here we describe a system for the construction of recombinant ILTV. A 4-kbp ILTV EcoRI DNA fragment was cloned into plasmid pUC13 and sequenced. Computer prediction revealed two potential open reading frames with 216 and 259 amino acid residues, respectively. The 259-residue polypeptide was serine-rich. The beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene of E. coli was cloned into the XhoI/Bg/II site of this DNA fragment, integrated into the ILTV genome via homologous recombination, expressed under the control of the immediate-early cytomegalovirus promoter, and caused the formation of blue plaques in the presence of X-gal. The insertion of a foreign gene into the ILTV genome and the successful expression of the incorporated gene demonstrated the potential for the construction of attenuated recombinant ILTV vaccines and the development of ILTV as vectors for polyvalent vaccines against avian upper respiratory tract infections.
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PMID:Construction of recombinant avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus expressing the beta-galactosidase gene and DNA sequencing of the insertion region. 803 Feb 40

The latency-associated transcripts (LAT), which code from an 8.5 kb segment of the internal repeat region of the HSV genome, are the only viral transcripts that are present during HSV latent infection. However, little is known about the relative contribution of promoter activity, degradative processes, and elements or regions affecting long term expression of these transcripts in latently infected neurons. To begin to address this question we investigated LAT promoter activity during acute and latent infection. Mouse footpads were infected with KOS/62-3, an engineered herpes simplex virus in which both copies of the LAT promoter are used to drive expression of the Escherichia coli lac Z gene. Four days post-inoculation (p.i.) abundant beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) protein and transcripts were present within ganglionic neurons as assayed by enzyme histochemistry and in situ hybridization. In contrast, by Day 21 (at which time a latent infection had been established) no beta-gal transcripts were present in infected ganglia, even when assayed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These findings indicate a significant drop in LAT promoter activity between Day 4 and Day 21 p.i. To provide confirmatory evidence for this conclusion we infected mice with a second viral construct, KOS/67-7, in which the LAT promoter was used to drive expression of the nerve growth factor (NGF) gene. Four days p.i., abundant NGF antigen and transcripts were present in infected ganglionic neurons, but no evidence of transcription of the cloned NGF gene could be found in latently infected ganglia. Our findings suggest that LAT promoter activity is severely restricted during the latent phase of ganglionic infection.
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PMID:Decreased reporter gene expression during latent infection with HSV LAT promoter constructs. 824 81

As a result of its capacity to establish and maintain a life-long latent infection in the nervous system, herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been promoted as an ideal vector for introducing DNA into mature, differentiated, post-mitotic neurons. Although delivery of foreign genes into neurons using HSV vectors has been well established, the potential of these vectors for scientific inquiry or therapeutic use has been hampered by the lack of efficient long-term expression of these foreign genes. In the few instances where expression from the latent genome has been reported, expression appears to be minimal and levels of mRNA present have not been established. Here we describe HSV viral vectors that express a foreign gene during latency in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). More particularly, we have constructed a vector that, by histochemical assays for the protein, expresses the beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) gene for at least 18 months post infection. We have further characterized the expression of beta-Gal transcripts by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and determined that there are 32,000 copies of beta-Gal transcripts per 0.5 microgram of total RNA at 18 months post infection. The vector makes use of the mouse Moloney leukemia virus (MMLV) long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter located directly upstream from the latency-associated transcripts (LAT) promoter region and expresses mRNA from the DNA strand opposite to that expressing the LAT. Finally, the vector was constructed using a system that allows other promoter/gene constructs to be easily inserted into the viral genome. It may have utility in studying the effects of cellular or viral gene expression on establishment, maintenance or reactivation from latency or for the delivery and expression of therapeutic proteins employed in gene therapy of the nervous system.
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PMID:Long-term expression of a foreign gene from a unique position in the latent herpes simplex virus genome. 884 4

The ability of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to establish a lifelong, transcriptionally active, latent infection in neurons has led to much interest in developing HSV-based vectors for gene delivery to the nervous system. A prerequisite of such vectors is that they should be capable of directing long-term transgene expression in latently infected neurons. The continued transcription of HSV-1 latency-associated transcripts (LATs) during neuronal latency suggests that regulatory sequences which mediate expression of LATs could be utilized for long-term expression of heterologous genes in the mammalian nervous system. In addition to upstream regulatory elements which are important for LAT promoter-mediated transcription during neuronal latency, there is growing evidence that sequences downstream of the LAT transcription start site play an important role in facilitating long-term latent-phase transcription. In order to maintain the integrity of both upstream and downstream regulatory elements of the LAT promoter, we constructed viruses which contained the lacZ and lacZ-neo reporter genes linked to the encephalomyocarditis virus internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) (viruses LbetaA and LbetaB, respectively) inserted approximately 1.5 kb downstream of the LAT transcription start site. These viruses expressed low levels of beta-galactosidase in lytically infected Vero cells and in cervical dorsal root ganglion neurons during the acute stage of infection in vivo. In contrast, at later times postinfection and consistent with the establishment of latency, increases both in the numbers of neurons expressing beta-galactosidase and in the intensity of staining were observed. Examination of the brain stems and spinal cords of animals latently infected with LbetaA, sampled at time points from 72 to 307 days postinfection, revealed the stable expression of beta-galactosidase within neurons located in facial and hypoglossal nerve nuclei and the upper cervical spinal cord. We conclude that the insertion of an IRES linked to a reporter gene 1.5 kb downstream from the LAT transcription start site does not disrupt elements of the LAT promoter necessary for long-term gene expression and, in both the peripheral and central nervous systems, facilitates beta-galactosidase expression in a wide variety of neurons.
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PMID:Utilization of the herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated regulatory region to drive stable reporter gene expression in the nervous system. 906 Jun 83

beta-Galactosidase enzyme expression can be detected in only a small percentage of trigeminal ganglia (TG) neurons acutely and latently infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV), in which the lacZ reporter gene was placed down-stream of the latency associated transcript (LAT) promoter at the LAT locus. However, DNA quantification suggests that a larger percentage of cells is infected than is expressing beta-galactosidase enzyme. To investigate the mechanism involved in regulation of genes expressed from the LAT promoter in trigeminal ganglia, in situ hybridization and histochemical staining assays were employed to determine on a cell-by-cell basis beta-gal gene expression both at the RNA and protein level. Using a LAT promoter-driven beta-gal construct in HSV-1 strain HFEM, it was found that there were 89-fold more cells positive for beta-gal transcript than cells positive for beta-gal enzyme in acutely infected trigeminal ganglia and a 10-fold difference in latently infected trigeminal ganglia. Thus, there is a discordance between beta-gal mRNA and beta-gal enzyme levels in HFEM/LAT-lacZ infected cells during acute and latent infection, and the beta-gal reporter gene activity does not faithfully compare the LAT promoter activity between acute and latently infected tissue. In contrast, in situ hybridization and histochemical staining assays were performed in mice acutely infected with a virus in which 140 bp of the LAT promoter sequences flanking the TATA element were replaced by 1.8 kbp of the neurofilament promoter (HSV-1 HFEM/NF-lacZ). This construct showed a correlation between beta-gal mRNA and enzyme expression in trigeminal ganglia in acute and latent infections. These findings suggest that sequences at the 5' end of the beta-gal transcript influence translation of the beta-gal message.
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PMID:beta-Gal enzyme activity driven by the HSV LAT promoter does not correspond to beta-gal RNA levels in mouse trigeminal ganglia. 933 8

Brain disorders induced by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may appear at a later time after birth as a consequence of persistent infection and/or the activation of a latent infection of the neural cells. We have analyzed the infection dynamics of the neural cells in the neonatal mouse brains infected with murine CMV (MCMV) in the late stage of gestation. First we prepared a rat monoclonal antibody to the major immediate-early (IE)-89K antigen and then used the antibody for comparison of the expression of early and late viral genes in the developing mouse brains. The cells expressing the IE-89K antigen were mostly localized in the ventricular and subventricular zones and were preferentially double stained with anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein and anti-nestin antibodies. In contrast, the cells expressing the early nuclear antigen, detected by the monoclonal antibody D5, were diffusely distributed in the cortex and the hippocampus and were mostly double labeled with anti-neuron-specific enolase antibody. In neonatal mouse brains infected congenitally with recombinant MCMV, which expressed lacZ as a late gene, the number of the early nuclear antigen-positive cells was much higher than that of the beta-galactosidase-expressing cells, the number of which was almost the same as that of the IE-89K antigen-positive cells. In addition, the distribution of viral DNA-rich cells detected by DNA-DNA hybridization was similar to that of the IE-89K antigen-positive cells. These results suggest that CMV may persistently infect neuronal cells, whereas lytic infection may preferentially occur in the glial cells in the developing brain.
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PMID:Differential expression of the immediate-early and early antigens in neuronal and glial cells of developing mouse brains infected with murine cytomegalovirus. 935 59


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