The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "General Virology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2021) | Viewed by 87826

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Special Issue Editors

1. ESAS, Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Quinta do Galinheiro, S. Pedro, 2001-904 Santarém, Portugal
2. CERNAS-Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Coimbra, Portugal
3. MED–Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE–Global Change and Sustainability Institute, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: plant pathology; plant virology; molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens; sustainable plant protection; virus-induced gene silencing; gene expression; CRISPR-Cas systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Laboratory of Virology, MED–Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE–Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: plant pathology; plant virology; molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens; sustainable plant protection; RNAi; virus-induced gene silencing; siRNAs; gene expression; CRISPR-Cas systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viruses are capable of causing devastating diseases in several organisms; however, they are simple systems and can be manipulated to be beneficial and useful for several purposes in different areas. In medicine, they have been used for a long time in vaccines and are now being used as vectors to carry materials for the treatment of diseases, such as cancer, in specific target cells. In agriculture, they are being studied to introduce desirable characteristics in plants or render resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. They have been exploited in nanotechnology for the deposition of specific metals and have been shown to be of great benefit to nanomaterial production. They can also be used for different applications in pharmacology, cosmetics, electronics, and other industries. Additionally, they have been used in gene therapy to deliver specific genes into organisms. Thus, viruses are no longer only seen as bad pathogens. They have shown enormous potential, covering several important areas in our lives, and they are making our lives easier and better. While they have already proved their potential in some industries and areas of research, there is still a long road ahead. In this Special Issue, our aim is to contribute to the current knowledge on virus use and to highlight recent significant advances in the use of viruses in several fields.

Dr. Carla Varanda
Dr. Patrick Materatski
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • viral vectors
  • potential use
  • plant protection
  • nanotechnology
  • gene therapy

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Published Papers (16 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

6 pages, 231 KiB  
Editorial
An Overview of the Application of Viruses to Biotechnology
by Carla Varanda, Maria do Rosário Félix, Maria Doroteia Campos and Patrick Materatski
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 2073; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13102073 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3859
Abstract
Viruses may cause devastating diseases in several organisms; however, they are simple systems that can be manipulated to be beneficial and useful for many purposes in different areas. In medicine, viruses have been used for a long time in vaccines and are now [...] Read more.
Viruses may cause devastating diseases in several organisms; however, they are simple systems that can be manipulated to be beneficial and useful for many purposes in different areas. In medicine, viruses have been used for a long time in vaccines and are now being used as vectors to carry materials for the treatment of diseases, such as cancer, being able to target specific cells. In agriculture, viruses are being studied to introduce desirable characteristics in plants or render resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Viruses have been exploited in nanotechnology for the deposition of specific metals and have been shown to be of great benefit to nanomaterial production. They can also be used for different applications in pharmacology, cosmetics, electronics, and other industries. Thus, viruses are no longer only seen as enemies. They have shown enormous potential, covering several important areas in our lives, and they are making our lives easier and better. Although viruses have already proven their potential, there is still a long road ahead. This prompt us to propose this theme in the Special Issue “The application of viruses to biotechnology”. We believe that the articles gathered here highlight recent significant advances in the use of viruses in several fields, contributing to the current knowledge on virus applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)

Research

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13 pages, 4118 KiB  
Article
Macrophage Depletion via Clodronate Pretreatment Reduces Transgene Expression from AAV Vectors In Vivo
by Darrick L. Yu, Natalie S. M. Chow, Byram W. Bridle and Sarah K. Wootton
Viruses 2021, 13(10), 2002; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13102002 - 06 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2148
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus is a popular gene delivery vehicle for gene therapy studies. A potential roadblock to widespread clinical adoption is the high vector doses required for efficient transduction in vivo, and the potential for subsequent immune responses that may limit prolonged transgene expression. [...] Read more.
Adeno-associated virus is a popular gene delivery vehicle for gene therapy studies. A potential roadblock to widespread clinical adoption is the high vector doses required for efficient transduction in vivo, and the potential for subsequent immune responses that may limit prolonged transgene expression. We hypothesized that the depletion of macrophages via systemic delivery of liposome-encapsulated clodronate would improve transgene expression if given prior to systemic AAV vector administration, as has been shown to be the case with adenoviral vectors. Contrary to our expectations, clodronate liposome pretreatment resulted in significantly reduced transgene expression in the liver and heart, but permitted moderate transduction of the white pulp of the spleen. There was a remarkable localization of transgene expression from the red pulp to the center of the white pulp in clodronate-treated mice compared to untreated mice. Similarly, a greater proportion of transgene expression could be observed in the medulla located in the center of the lymph node in mice treated with clodronate-containing liposomes as compared to untreated mice where transgene expression was localized primarily to the cortex. These results underscore the highly significant role that the immune system plays in influencing the distribution and relative numbers of transduced cells in the context of AAV-mediated gene delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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21 pages, 2457 KiB  
Article
Exploring Codon Adjustment Strategies towards Escherichia coli-Based Production of Viral Proteins Encoded by HTH1, a Novel Prophage of the Marine Bacterium Hypnocyclicus thermotrophus
by Hasan Arsın, Andrius Jasilionis, Håkon Dahle, Ruth-Anne Sandaa, Runar Stokke, Eva Nordberg Karlsson and Ida Helene Steen
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1215; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13071215 - 23 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2879
Abstract
Marine viral sequence space is immense and presents a promising resource for the discovery of new enzymes interesting for research and biotechnology. However, bottlenecks in the functional annotation of viral genes and soluble heterologous production of proteins hinder access to downstream characterization, subsequently [...] Read more.
Marine viral sequence space is immense and presents a promising resource for the discovery of new enzymes interesting for research and biotechnology. However, bottlenecks in the functional annotation of viral genes and soluble heterologous production of proteins hinder access to downstream characterization, subsequently impeding the discovery process. While commonly utilized for the heterologous expression of prokaryotic genes, codon adjustment approaches have not been fully explored for viral genes. Herein, the sequence-based identification of a putative prophage is reported from within the genome of Hypnocyclicus thermotrophus, a Gram-negative, moderately thermophilic bacterium isolated from the Seven Sisters hydrothermal vent field. A prophage-associated gene cluster, consisting of 46 protein coding genes, was identified and given the proposed name Hypnocyclicus thermotrophus phage H1 (HTH1). HTH1 was taxonomically assigned to the viral family Siphoviridae, by lowest common ancestor analysis of its genome and phylogeny analyses based on proteins predicted as holin and DNA polymerase. The gene neighbourhood around the HTH1 lytic cassette was found most similar to viruses infecting Gram-positive bacteria. In the HTH1 lytic cassette, an N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase (Amidase_2) with a peptidoglycan binding motif (LysM) was identified. A total of nine genes coding for enzymes putatively related to lysis, nucleic acid modification and of unknown function were subjected to heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. Codon optimization and codon harmonization approaches were applied in parallel to compare their effects on produced proteins. Comparison of protein yields and thermostability demonstrated that codon optimization yielded higher levels of soluble protein, but codon harmonization led to proteins with higher thermostability, implying a higher folding quality. Altogether, our study suggests that both codon optimization and codon harmonization are valuable approaches for successful heterologous expression of viral genes in E. coli, but codon harmonization may be preferable in obtaining recombinant viral proteins of higher folding quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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17 pages, 3327 KiB  
Article
Relocation of the attTn7 Transgene Insertion Site in Bacmid DNA Enhances Baculovirus Genome Stability and Recombinant Protein Expression in Insect Cells
by Gorben P. Pijlman, Carissa Grose, Tessy A. H. Hick, Herman E. Breukink, Robin van den Braak, Sandra R. Abbo, Corinne Geertsema, Monique M. van Oers, Dirk E. Martens and Dominic Esposito
Viruses 2020, 12(12), 1448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12121448 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6860
Abstract
Baculovirus expression vectors are successfully used for the commercial production of complex (glyco)proteins in eukaryotic cells. The genome engineering of single-copy baculovirus infectious clones (bacmids) in E. coli has been valuable in the study of baculovirus biology, but bacmids are not yet widely [...] Read more.
Baculovirus expression vectors are successfully used for the commercial production of complex (glyco)proteins in eukaryotic cells. The genome engineering of single-copy baculovirus infectious clones (bacmids) in E. coli has been valuable in the study of baculovirus biology, but bacmids are not yet widely applied as expression vectors. An important limitation of first-generation bacmids for large-scale protein production is the rapid loss of gene of interest (GOI) expression. The instability is caused by the mini-F replicon in the bacmid backbone, which is non-essential for baculovirus replication in insect cells, and carries the adjacent GOI in between attTn7 transposition sites. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that relocation of the attTn7 transgene insertion site away from the mini-F replicon prevents deletion of the GOI, thereby resulting in higher and prolonged recombinant protein expression levels. We applied lambda red genome engineering combined with SacB counterselection to generate a series of bacmids with relocated attTn7 sites and tested their performance by comparing the relative expression levels of different GOIs. We conclude that GOI expression from the odv-e56 (pif-5) locus results in higher overall expression levels and is more stable over serial passages compared to the original bacmid. Finally, we evaluated this improved next-generation bacmid during a bioreactor scale-up of Sf9 insect cells in suspension to produce enveloped chikungunya virus-like particles as a model vaccine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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14 pages, 2965 KiB  
Article
Recombinant Lactococcus Expressing a Novel Variant of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus VP2 Protein Can Induce Unique Specific Neutralizing Antibodies in Chickens and Provide Complete Protection
by Zhihao Wang, Jielan Mi, Yulong Wang, Tingting Wang, Xiaole Qi, Kai Li, Qing Pan, Yulong Gao, Li Gao, Changjun Liu, Yanping Zhang, Xiaomei Wang and Hongyu Cui
Viruses 2020, 12(12), 1350; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12121350 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
Recent reports of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infections in China, Japan, and North America have indicated the presence of variant, and the current conventional IBDV vaccine cannot completely protect against variant IBDV. In this study, we constructed recombinant Lactococcus lactis (r-L. [...] Read more.
Recent reports of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infections in China, Japan, and North America have indicated the presence of variant, and the current conventional IBDV vaccine cannot completely protect against variant IBDV. In this study, we constructed recombinant Lactococcus lactis (r-L. lactis) expressing a novel variant of IBDV VP2 (avVP2) protein along with the Salmonella resistance to complement killing (RCK) protein, and Western blotting analysis confirmed that r-L. lactis successfully expressed avVP2-RCK fusion protein. We immunized chickens with this vaccine and subsequently challenged them with the very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) and a novel variant wild IBDV (avIBDV) to evaluate the immune effect of the vaccine. The results show that the r-L. lactis-avVP2-RCK-immunized group exhibited a 100% protection rate when challenged with avIBDV and 100% survival rate to vvIBDV. Furthermore, this immunization resulted in the production of unique neutralizing antibodies that cannot be detected by conventional ELISA. These results indicate that r-L. lactis-avVP2-RCK is a promising candidate vaccine against IBDV infections, which can produce unique neutralizing antibodies that cannot be produced by other vaccines and protect against IBDV infection, especially against the variant strain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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14 pages, 3005 KiB  
Article
JSRV Intragenic Enhancer Element Increases Expression from a Heterologous Promoter and Promotes High Level AAV-Mediated Transgene Expression in the Lung and Liver of Mice
by Darrick L. Yu, Natalie Chow and Sarah K. Wootton
Viruses 2020, 12(11), 1266; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12111266 - 06 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2170
Abstract
Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) induces tumors in the distal airways of sheep and goats. A putative intragenic enhancer, termed JE, localized to the 3′ end of the JSRV env gene, has been previously described. Herein we provide further evidence that the JE functions [...] Read more.
Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) induces tumors in the distal airways of sheep and goats. A putative intragenic enhancer, termed JE, localized to the 3′ end of the JSRV env gene, has been previously described. Herein we provide further evidence that the JE functions as a transcriptional enhancer, as it was able to enhance gene expression when placed in either forward or reverse orientation when combined with a heterologous chicken beta actin promoter. We then generated novel composite promoters designed to improve transgene expression from adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vectors. A hybrid promoter consisting of the shortest JE sequence examined (JE71), the U3 region of the JSRV long terminal repeat (LTR), and the chicken beta actin promoter, demonstrated robust expression in vitro and in vivo, when in the context of AAV vectors. AAV-mediated transgene expression in vivo from the hybrid promoter was marginally lower than that observed for AAV vectors encoding the strong CAG promoter, but greatly reduced in the heart, making this promoter/enhancer combination attractive for non-cardiac applications, particularly respiratory tract or liver directed therapies. Replacement of the murine leukemia virus intron present in the original vector construct with a modified SV40 intron reduced the promoter/enhancer/intron cassette size to 719 bp, leaving an additional ~4 kb of coding capacity when packaged within an AAV vector. Taken together, we have developed a novel, compact promoter that is capable of directing high level transgene expression from AAV vectors in both the liver and lung with diminished transgene expression in the heart. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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22 pages, 4284 KiB  
Article
Parenterally Administered Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus-Like Particle-Based Vaccine Formulated with CCL25/28 Chemokines Induces Systemic and Mucosal Immune Protectivity in Pigs
by Chin-Wei Hsu, Ming-Hao Chang, Hui-Wen Chang, Tzong-Yuan Wu and Yen-Chen Chang
Viruses 2020, 12(10), 1122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12101122 - 02 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3027
Abstract
Generation of a safe, economical, and effective vaccine capable of inducing mucosal immunity is critical for the development of vaccines against enteric viral diseases. In the current study, virus-like particles (VLPs) containing the spike (S), membrane (M), and envelope (E) structural proteins of [...] Read more.
Generation of a safe, economical, and effective vaccine capable of inducing mucosal immunity is critical for the development of vaccines against enteric viral diseases. In the current study, virus-like particles (VLPs) containing the spike (S), membrane (M), and envelope (E) structural proteins of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) expressed by the novel polycistronic baculovirus expression vector were generated. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the PEDV VLPs formulated with or without mucosal adjuvants of CCL25 and CCL28 (CCL25/28) were evaluated in post-weaning pigs. While pigs intramuscularly immunized with VLPs alone were capable of eliciting systemic anti-PEDV S-specific IgG and cellular immunity, co-administration of PEDV VLPs with CCL25/28 could further modulate the immune responses by enhancing systemic anti-PEDV S-specific IgG, mucosal IgA, and cellular immunity. Upon challenge with PEDV, both VLP-immunized groups showed milder clinical signs with reduced fecal viral shedding as compared to the control group. Furthermore, pigs immunized with VLPs adjuvanted with CCL25/28 showed superior immune protection against PEDV. Our results suggest that VLPs formulated with CCL25/28 may serve as a potential PEDV vaccine candidate and the same strategy may serve as a platform for the development of other enteric viral vaccines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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19 pages, 2228 KiB  
Article
Virus-Induced Flowering by Apple Latent Spherical Virus Vector: Effective Use to Accelerate Breeding of Grapevine
by Kiyoaki Maeda, Teppei Kikuchi, Ichiro Kasajima, Chungjiang Li, Noriko Yamagishi, Hiroyuki Yamashita and Nobuyuki Yoshikawa
Viruses 2020, 12(1), 70; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12010070 - 07 Jan 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5504
Abstract
Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) was successfully used in promoting flowering (virus-induced flowering, VIF) in apple and pear seedlings. In this paper, we report the use of ALSV vectors for VIF in seedlings and in vitro cultures of grapevine. After adjusting experimental conditions [...] Read more.
Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) was successfully used in promoting flowering (virus-induced flowering, VIF) in apple and pear seedlings. In this paper, we report the use of ALSV vectors for VIF in seedlings and in vitro cultures of grapevine. After adjusting experimental conditions for biolistic inoculation of virus RNA, ALSV efficiently infected not only progeny seedlings of Vitis spp. ‘Koshu,’ but also in vitro cultures of V. vinifera ‘Neo Muscat’ without inducing viral symptoms. The grapevine seedlings and in vitro cultures inoculated with an ALSV vector expressing the ‘florigen’ gene (Arabidopsis Flowering locus T, AtFT) started to set floral buds 20–30 days after inoculation. This VIF technology was successfully used to promote flowering and produce grapes with viable seeds in in vitro cultures of F1 hybrids from crosses between V. ficifolia and V. vinifera and made it possible to analyze the quality of fruits within a year after germination. High-temperature (37 °C) treatment of ALSV-infected grapevine disabled virus movement to newly growing tissue to obtain ALSV-free shoots. Thus, the VIF using ALSV vectors can be used to shorten the generation time of grapevine seedlings and accelerate breeding of grapevines with desired traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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19 pages, 1362 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Host Specificity Revealed by Biological Characterization and Whole Genome Sequencing of Bacteriophages Infecting Salmonella enterica
by Karen Fong, Denise M. Tremblay, Pascal Delaquis, Lawrence Goodridge, Roger C. Levesque, Sylvain Moineau, Curtis A. Suttle and Siyun Wang
Viruses 2019, 11(9), 854; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v11090854 - 14 Sep 2019
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 7196
Abstract
Phages infecting members of the opportunistic human pathogen, Salmonella enterica, are widespread in natural environments and offer a potential source of agents that could be used for controlling populations of this bacterium; yet, relatively little is known about these phages. Here we [...] Read more.
Phages infecting members of the opportunistic human pathogen, Salmonella enterica, are widespread in natural environments and offer a potential source of agents that could be used for controlling populations of this bacterium; yet, relatively little is known about these phages. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of 45 phages of Salmonella enterica from disparate geographic locations within British Columbia, Canada. Host-range profiling revealed host-specific patterns of susceptibility and resistance, with several phages identified that have a broad-host range (i.e., able to lyse >40% of bacterial hosts tested). One phage in particular, SE13, is able to lyse 51 out of the 61 Salmonella strains tested. Comparative genomic analyses also revealed an abundance of sequence diversity in the sequenced phages. Alignment of the genomes grouped the phages into 12 clusters with three singletons. Phages within certain clusters exhibited extraordinarily high genome homology (>98% nucleotide identity), yet between clusters, genomes exhibited a span of diversity (<50% nucleotide identity). Alignment of the major capsid protein also supported the clustering pattern observed with alignment of the whole genomes. We further observed associations between genomic relatedness and the site of isolation, as well as genetic elements related to DNA metabolism and host virulence. Our data support the knowledge framework for phage diversity and phage–host interactions that are required for developing phage-based applications for various sectors, including biocontrol, detection and typing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

21 pages, 3744 KiB  
Review
Application of Plant Viruses in Biotechnology, Medicine, and Human Health
by Srividhya Venkataraman and Kathleen Hefferon
Viruses 2021, 13(9), 1697; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13091697 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5898
Abstract
Plant-based nanotechnology programs using virus-like particles (VLPs) and virus nanoparticles (VNPs) are emerging platforms that are increasingly used for a variety of applications in biotechnology and medicine. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and potato virus X (PVX), by virtue of having high aspect ratios, [...] Read more.
Plant-based nanotechnology programs using virus-like particles (VLPs) and virus nanoparticles (VNPs) are emerging platforms that are increasingly used for a variety of applications in biotechnology and medicine. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and potato virus X (PVX), by virtue of having high aspect ratios, make ideal platforms for drug delivery. TMV and PVX both possess rod-shaped structures and single-stranded RNA genomes encapsidated by their respective capsid proteins and have shown great promise as drug delivery systems. Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) has an icosahedral structure, and thus brings unique benefits as a nanoparticle. The uses of these three plant viruses as either nanostructures or expression vectors for high value pharmaceutical proteins such as vaccines and antibodies are discussed extensively in the following review. In addition, the potential uses of geminiviruses in medical biotechnology are explored. The uses of these expression vectors in plant biotechnology applications are also discussed. Finally, in this review, we project future prospects for plant viruses in the fields of medicine, human health, prophylaxis, and therapy of human diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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16 pages, 1049 KiB  
Review
Harnessing the Natural Biology of Adeno-Associated Virus to Enhance the Efficacy of Cancer Gene Therapy
by Jacquelyn J. Bower, Liujiang Song, Prabhakar Bastola and Matthew L. Hirsch
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1205; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13071205 - 23 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5110
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was first characterized as small “defective” contaminant particles in a simian adenovirus preparation in 1965. Since then, a recombinant platform of AAV (rAAV) has become one of the leading candidates for gene therapy applications resulting in two FDA-approved treatments for [...] Read more.
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was first characterized as small “defective” contaminant particles in a simian adenovirus preparation in 1965. Since then, a recombinant platform of AAV (rAAV) has become one of the leading candidates for gene therapy applications resulting in two FDA-approved treatments for rare monogenic diseases and many more currently in various phases of the pharmaceutical development pipeline. Herein, we summarize rAAV approaches for the treatment of diverse types of cancers and highlight the natural anti-oncogenic effects of wild-type AAV (wtAAV), including interactions with the cellular host machinery, that are of relevance to enhance current treatment strategies for cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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19 pages, 612 KiB  
Review
Plant Viruses: From Targets to Tools for CRISPR
by Carla M. R. Varanda, Maria do Rosário Félix, Maria Doroteia Campos, Mariana Patanita and Patrick Materatski
Viruses 2021, 13(1), 141; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13010141 - 19 Jan 2021
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6486
Abstract
Plant viruses cause devastating diseases in many agriculture systems, being a serious threat for the provision of adequate nourishment to a continuous growing population. At the present, there are no chemical products that directly target the viruses, and their control rely mainly on [...] Read more.
Plant viruses cause devastating diseases in many agriculture systems, being a serious threat for the provision of adequate nourishment to a continuous growing population. At the present, there are no chemical products that directly target the viruses, and their control rely mainly on preventive sanitary measures to reduce viral infections that, although important, have proved to be far from enough. The current most effective and sustainable solution is the use of virus-resistant varieties, but which require too much work and time to obtain. In the recent years, the versatile gene editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas has simplified the engineering of crops and has successfully been used for the development of viral resistant plants. CRISPR stands for ‘clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats’ and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, and is based on a natural adaptive immune system that most archaeal and some bacterial species present to defend themselves against invading bacteriophages. Plant viral resistance using CRISPR/Cas technology can been achieved either through manipulation of plant genome (plant-mediated resistance), by mutating host factors required for viral infection; or through manipulation of virus genome (virus-mediated resistance), for which CRISPR/Cas systems must specifically target and cleave viral DNA or RNA. Viruses present an efficient machinery and comprehensive genome structure and, in a different, beneficial perspective, they have been used as biotechnological tools in several areas such as medicine, materials industry, and agriculture with several purposes. Due to all this potential, it is not surprising that viruses have also been used as vectors for CRISPR technology; namely, to deliver CRISPR components into plants, a crucial step for the success of CRISPR technology. Here we discuss the basic principles of CRISPR/Cas technology, with a special focus on the advances of CRISPR/Cas to engineer plant resistance against DNA and RNA viruses. We also describe several strategies for the delivery of these systems into plant cells, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of plant viruses as vectors. We conclude by discussing some of the constrains faced by the application of CRISPR/Cas technology in agriculture and future prospects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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16 pages, 986 KiB  
Review
Plant Virology Delivers Diverse Toolsets for Biotechnology
by Mo Wang, Shilei Gao, Wenzhi Zeng, Yongqing Yang, Junfei Ma and Ying Wang
Viruses 2020, 12(11), 1338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12111338 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 7472
Abstract
Over a hundred years of research on plant viruses has led to a detailed understanding of viral replication, movement, and host–virus interactions. The functions of vast viral genes have also been annotated. With an increased understanding of plant viruses and plant–virus interactions, various [...] Read more.
Over a hundred years of research on plant viruses has led to a detailed understanding of viral replication, movement, and host–virus interactions. The functions of vast viral genes have also been annotated. With an increased understanding of plant viruses and plant–virus interactions, various viruses have been developed as vectors to modulate gene expressions for functional studies as well as for fulfilling the needs in biotechnology. These approaches are invaluable not only for molecular breeding and functional genomics studies related to pivotal agronomic traits, but also for the production of vaccines and health-promoting carotenoids. This review summarizes the latest progress in these forefronts as well as the available viral vectors for economically important crops and beyond. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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27 pages, 325 KiB  
Review
Application of Viral Vectors for Vaccine Development with a Special Emphasis on COVID-19
by Kenneth Lundstrom
Viruses 2020, 12(11), 1324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12111324 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7029
Abstract
Viral vectors can generate high levels of recombinant protein expression providing the basis for modern vaccine development. A large number of different viral vector expression systems have been utilized for targeting viral surface proteins and tumor-associated antigens. Immunization studies in preclinical animal models [...] Read more.
Viral vectors can generate high levels of recombinant protein expression providing the basis for modern vaccine development. A large number of different viral vector expression systems have been utilized for targeting viral surface proteins and tumor-associated antigens. Immunization studies in preclinical animal models have evaluated the elicited humoral and cellular responses and the possible protection against challenges with lethal doses of infectious pathogens or tumor cells. Several vaccine candidates for both infectious diseases and various cancers have been subjected to a number of clinical trials. Human immunization trials have confirmed safe application of viral vectors, generation of neutralizing antibodies and protection against challenges with lethal doses. A special emphasis is placed on COVID-19 vaccines based on viral vectors. Likewise, the flexibility and advantages of applying viral particles, RNA replicons and DNA replicon vectors of self-replicating RNA viruses for vaccine development are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
19 pages, 862 KiB  
Review
Viral Related Tools against SARS-CoV-2
by Laura Fernandez-Garcia, Olga Pacios, Mónica González-Bardanca, Lucia Blasco, Inés Bleriot, Antón Ambroa, María López, German Bou and Maria Tomás
Viruses 2020, 12(10), 1172; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12101172 - 16 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4327
Abstract
At the end of 2019, a new disease appeared and spread all over the world, the COVID-19, produced by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. As a consequence of this worldwide health crisis, the scientific community began to redirect their knowledge and resources to fight against [...] Read more.
At the end of 2019, a new disease appeared and spread all over the world, the COVID-19, produced by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. As a consequence of this worldwide health crisis, the scientific community began to redirect their knowledge and resources to fight against it. Here we summarize the recent research on viruses employed as therapy and diagnostic of COVID-19: (i) viral-vector vaccines both in clinical trials and pre-clinical phases; (ii) the use of bacteriophages to find antibodies specific to this virus and some studies of how to use the bacteriophages themselves as a treatment against viral diseases; and finally, (iii) the use of CRISPR-Cas technology both to obtain a fast precise diagnose of the patient and also the possible use of this technology as a cure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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23 pages, 842 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Prospects of Engineered Newcastle Disease Virus in Modern Vaccinology
by Muhammad Bashir Bello, Khatijah Yusoff, Aini Ideris, Mohd Hair-Bejo, Abdurrahman Hassan Jibril, Ben P. H. Peeters and Abdul Rahman Omar
Viruses 2020, 12(4), 451; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v12040451 - 16 Apr 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5446
Abstract
Many traditional vaccines have proven to be incapable of controlling newly emerging infectious diseases. They have also achieved limited success in the fight against a variety of human cancers. Thus, innovative vaccine strategies are highly needed to overcome the global burden of these [...] Read more.
Many traditional vaccines have proven to be incapable of controlling newly emerging infectious diseases. They have also achieved limited success in the fight against a variety of human cancers. Thus, innovative vaccine strategies are highly needed to overcome the global burden of these diseases. Advances in molecular biology and reverse genetics have completely restructured the concept of vaccinology, leading to the emergence of state-of-the-art technologies for vaccine design, development and delivery. Among these modern vaccine technologies are the recombinant viral vectored vaccines, which are known for their incredible specificity in antigen delivery as well as the induction of robust immune responses in the vaccinated hosts. Although a number of viruses have been used as vaccine vectors, genetically engineered Newcastle disease virus (NDV) possesses some useful attributes that make it a preferable candidate for vectoring vaccine antigens. Here, we review the molecular biology of NDV and discuss the reverse genetics approaches used to engineer the virus into an efficient vaccine vector. We then discuss the prospects of the engineered virus as an efficient vehicle of vaccines against cancer and several infectious diseases of man and animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Viruses to Biotechnology)
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