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Parvovirus-derived endogenous viral elements (EVEs) have been found in the genomes of many different animal species, resulting from integration events that may have occurred from more than 50 million years ago to much more recently. Here, we further investigate the properties of autonomous parvovirus EVEs and describe their relationships to contemporary viruses. While we did not find any intact capsid protein open reading frames in the integrated viral sequences, we examined three EVEs that were repaired to form full-length sequences with relatively few changes. These sequences were found in the genomes of Rattus norvegicus (brown rat), Mus spretus (Algerian mouse), and Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse). The R. norvegicus sequence was not present in the genomes of the closely related species R. rattus, R. tanezumi, R. exulans, and R. everetti, indicating that it was less than 2 million years old, and the M. spretus and A. sylvaticus sequences were not found in the published genomes of other mouse species, also indicating relatively recent insertions. The M. spretus VP2 sequence assembled into capsids, which had high thermal stability, bound the sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid, and entered murine L cells. The 3.89-A structure of the M. spretus virus-like particles (VLPs), determined using cryo-electron microscopy, showed similarities to rodent and porcine parvovirus capsids. The repaired VP2 sequences from R. norvegicus and A. sylvaticus did not assemble as first prepared, but chimeras combining capsid surface loops from R. norvegicus with canine parvovirus assembled, allowing some of that capsid’s structures and functions to be examined. IMPORTANCE Parvovirus endogenous viral elements (EVEs) that have been incorporated into the genomes of different animals represent remnants of the DNA sequences of ancient viruses that infected the ancestors of those animals millions of years ago, but we know little about their properties or how they differ from currently circulating parvoviruses. By expressing the capsid proteins of different parvovirus EVEs that were found integrated into the genomes of three different rodents, we can examine their structures and functions. A VP2 (major capsid protein) EVE sequence from a mouse genome assembled into capsids that had a similar structure and biophysical properties to extant parvoviruses and also bound sialic acids and entered rodent cells. Chimeras formed from combinations of canine parvovirus and portions of the parvovirus sequences from the brown rat genome allowed us to examine the structures and functions of the surface loops of that EVE capsid.

Determining how viruses infect new hosts via receptor-binding mechanisms is important for understanding virus emergence. We studied the binding kinetics of canine parvovirus (CPV) variants isolated from raccoons—a newly recognized CPV host—to different carnivore transferrin receptors (TfRs) using single-particle tracking. Our data suggest that CPV may utilize adhesion-strengthening mechanisms during TfR binding and that a single mutation in the viral capsid at VP2 position 300 can profoundly alter receptor binding and infectivity.

The association of host histones with parvoviral DNA is poorly understood. We analyzed the chromatinization and histone acetylation of canine parvovirus DNA during infection by confocal imaging and in situ proximity ligation assay combined with chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing. We found that during late infection, parvovirus replication bodies were rich in histones bearing modifications characteristic of transcriptionally active chromatin, i.e., histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac). H3K27ac, in particular, was located in close proximity to the viral DNA-binding protein NS1. Importantly, our results show for the first time that in the chromatinized parvoviral genome, the two viral promoters in particular were rich in H3K27ac. Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) inhibitors efficiently interfered with the expression of viral proteins and infection progress. Altogether, our data suggest that the acetylation of histones on parvoviral DNA is essential for viral gene expression and the completion of the viral life cycle. IMPORTANCE Viral DNA introduced into cell nuclei is exposed to cellular responses to foreign DNA, including chromatinization and epigenetic silencing, both of which determine the outcome of infection. How the incoming parvovirus resists cellular epigenetic downregulation of its genes is not understood. Here, the critical role of epigenetic modifications in the regulation of parvovirus infection was demonstrated. We showed for the first time that a successful parvovirus infection is characterized by the deposition of nucleosomes with active histone acetylation on the viral promoter areas. The results provide new insights into the regulation of parvoviral gene expression, which is an important aspect of the development of parvovirus-based virotherapy.

Sylvatic carnivores, such as raccoons, have recently been recognized as important hosts in the evolution of canine parvovirus (CPV), a pandemic pathogen of domestic dogs. Although viruses from raccoons do not efficiently bind the dog transferrin receptor (TfR) or infect dog cells, a single mutation changing an aspartic acid to a glycine at capsid (VP2) position 300 in the prototype raccoon CPV allows dog cell infection. Because VP2 position 300 exhibits extensive amino acid variation among the carnivore parvoviruses, we further investigated its role in determining host range by analyzing its diversity and evolution in nature and by creating a comprehensive set of VP2 position 300 mutants in infectious clones. Notably, some position 300 residues rendered CPV noninfectious for dog, but not cat or fox, cells. Changes of adjacent residues (residues 299 and 301) were also observed often after cell culture passage in different hosts, and some of the mutations mimicked changes seen in viruses recovered from natural infections of alternative hosts, suggesting that compensatory mutations were selected to accommodate the new residue at position 300. Analysis of the TfRs of carnivore hosts used in the experimental evolution studies demonstrated that their glycosylation patterns varied, including a glycan present only on the domestic dog TfR that dictates susceptibility to parvoviruses. Overall, there were significant differences in the abilities of viruses with alternative position 300 residues to bind TfRs and infect different carnivore hosts, demonstrating that the process of infection is highly host dependent and that VP2 position 300 is a key determinant of host range. IMPORTANCE Although the emergence and pandemic spread of canine parvovirus (CPV) are well documented, the carnivore hosts and evolutionary pathways involved in its emergence remain enigmatic. We recently demonstrated that a region in the capsid structure of CPV, centered around VP2 position 300, varies after transfer to alternative carnivore hosts and may allow infection of previously nonsusceptible hosts in vitro . Here we show that VP2 position 300 is the most variable residue in the parvovirus capsid in nature, suggesting that it is a critical determinant in the cross-species transfer of viruses between different carnivores due to its interactions with the transferrin receptor to mediate infection. To this end, we demonstrated that there are substantial differences in receptor binding and infectivity of various VP2 position 300 mutants for different carnivore species and that single mutations in this region can influence whether a host is susceptible or refractory to virus infection.

Parvovirus capsids are small but complex molecular machines responsible for undertaking many of the steps of cell infection, genome packing, and cell-to-cell as well as host-to-host transfer. The details of parvovirus infection of cells are still not fully understood, but the processes must involve small changes in the capsid structure that allow the endocytosed virus to escape from the endosome, pass through the cell cytoplasm, and deliver the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genome to the nucleus, where viral replication occurs. Here, we examine capsid substitutions that eliminate canine parvovirus (CPV) infectivity and identify how those mutations changed the capsid structure or altered interactions with the infectious pathway. Amino acid substitutions on the exterior surface of the capsid (Gly299Lys/Ala300Lys) altered the binding of the capsid to transferrin receptor type 1 (TfR), particularly during virus dissociation from the receptor, but still allowed efficient entry into both feline and canine cells without successful infection. These substitutions likely control specific capsid structural changes resulting from TfR binding required for infection. A second set of changes on the interior surface of the capsid reduced viral infectivity by >100-fold and included two cysteine residues and neighboring residues. One of these substitutions, Cys270Ser, modulates a VP2 cleavage event found in ∼10% of the capsid proteins that also was shown to alter capsid stability. A neighboring substitution, Pro272Lys, significantly reduced capsid assembly, while a Cys273Ser change appeared to alter capsid transport from the nucleus. These mutants reveal additional structural details that explain cell infection processes of parvovirus capsids. IMPORTANCE Parvoviruses are commonly found in both vertebrate and invertebrate animals and cause widespread disease. They are also being developed as oncolytic therapeutics and as gene therapy vectors. Most functions involved in infection or transduction are mediated by the viral capsid, but the structure-function correlates of the capsids and their constituent proteins are still incompletely understood, especially in relation to identifying capsid processes responsible for infection and release from the cell. Here, we characterize the functional effects of capsid protein mutations that result in the loss of virus infectivity, giving a better understanding of the portions of the capsid that mediate essential steps in successful infection pathways and how they contribute to viral infectivity.

Although parvoviruses are commonly described in domestic carnivores, little is known about their biodiversity in nondomestic species. A phylogenetic analysis of VP2 gene sequences from puma, coyote, gray wolf, bobcat, raccoon, and striped skunk revealed two major groups related to either feline panleukopenia virus (“FPV-like”) or canine parvovirus (“CPV-like”). Cross-species transmission was commonplace, with multiple introductions into each host species but, with the exception of raccoons, relatively little evidence for onward transmission in nondomestic species.

Because productive infection by parvoviruses requires cell division and is enhanced by oncogenic transformation, some parvoviruses may have potential utility in killing cancer cells. To identify the parvovirus(es) with the optimal oncolytic effect against human glioblastomas, we screened 12 parvoviruses at a high multiplicity of infection (MOI). MVMi, MVMc, MVM-G17, tumor virus X (TVX), canine parvovirus (CPV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), rat parvovirus 1A (RPV1A), and H-3 were relatively ineffective. The four viruses with the greatest oncolytic activity, LuIII, H-1, MVMp, and MVM-G52, were tested for the ability, at a low MOI, to progressively infect the culture over time, causing cell death at a rate higher than that of cell proliferation. LuIII alone was effective in all five human glioblastomas tested. H-1 progressively infected only two of five; MVMp and MVM-G52 were ineffective in all five. To investigate the underlying mechanism of LuIII's phenotype, we used recombinant parvoviruses with the LuIII capsid replacing the MVMp capsid or with molecular alteration of the P4 promoter. The LuIII capsid enhanced efficient replication and oncolysis in MO59J gliomas cells; other gliomas tested required the entire LuIII genome to exhibit enhanced infection. LuIII selectively infected glioma cells over normal glial cells in vitro . In mouse models, human glioblastoma xenografts were selectively infected by LuIII when administered intratumorally; LuIII reduced tumor growth by 75%. LuIII also had the capacity to selectively infect subcutaneous or intracranial gliomas after intravenous inoculation. Intravenous or intracranial LuIII caused no adverse effects. Intracranial LuIII caused no infection of mature mouse neurons or glia in vivo but showed a modest infection of developing neurons.

Understanding the mechanisms of cross-species virus transmission is critical to anticipating emerging infectious diseases. Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) emerged as a variant of a feline parvovirus when it acquired mutations that allowed binding to the canine transferrin receptor type 1 (TfR). However, CPV-2 was soon replaced by a variant virus (CPV-2a) that differed in antigenicity and receptor binding. Here we show that the emergence of CPV involved an additional host range variant virus that has circulated undetected in raccoons for at least 24 years, with transfers to and from dogs. Raccoon virus capsids showed little binding to the canine TfR, showed little infection of canine cells, and had altered antigenic structures. Remarkably, in capsid protein (VP2) phylogenies, most raccoon viruses fell as evolutionary intermediates between the CPV-2 and CPV-2a strains, suggesting that passage through raccoons assisted in the evolution of CPV-2a. This highlights the potential role of alternative hosts in viral emergence.

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is a severe enteric pathogen of dogs, causing high mortality in unvaccinated dogs. After emerging, CPV-2 spread rapidly worldwide. However, there is now some evidence to suggest that international transmission appears to be more restricted. In order to investigate the transmission and evolution of CPV-2 both nationally and in relation to the global situation, we have used a long-range PCR to amplify and sequence the full VP2 gene of 150 canine parvoviruses obtained from a large cross-sectional sample of dogs presenting with severe diarrhea to veterinarians in the United Kingdom, over a 2-year period. Among these 150 strains, 50 different DNA sequence types (S) were identified, and apart from one case, all appeared unique to the United Kingdom. Phylogenetic analysis provided clear evidence for spatial clustering at the international level and for the first time also at the national level, with the geographical range of some sequence types appearing to be highly restricted within the United Kingdom. Evolution of the VP2 gene in this data set was associated with a lack of positive selection. In addition, the majority of predicted amino acid sequences were identical to those found elsewhere in the world, suggesting that CPV VP2 has evolved a highly fit conformation. Based on typing systems using key amino acid mutations, 43% of viruses were CPV-2a, and 57% CPV-2b, with no type 2 or 2c found. However, phylogenetic analysis suggested complex antigenic evolution of this virus, with both type 2a and 2b viruses appearing polyphyletic. As such, typing based on specific amino acid mutations may not reflect the true epidemiology of this virus. The geographical restriction that we observed both within the United Kingdom and between the United Kingdom and other countries, together with the lack of CPV-2c in this population, strongly suggests the spread of CPV within its population may be heterogeneously subject to limiting factors. This cross-sectional study of national and global CPV phylogeographic segregation reveals a substantially more complex epidemic structure than previously described.

Parvovirus is the most common viral cause of diarrhea in young puppies. Based on the analysis of a partial VP2 sequence of 54 samples, canine parvovirus type 2c (CPV-2c) ( n = 26), CPV-2b ( n = 25), and CPV-2 ( n = 3) were detected in the United States. The American CPV-2b isolates have unique codons (494 and 572) in VP2.

The cell infection processes and host ranges of canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) are controlled by their capsid interactions with the transferrin receptors (TfR) on their host cells. Here, we expressed the ectodomains of wild-type and mutant TfR and tested those for binding to purified viral capsids and showed that different naturally variant strains of the viruses were associated with variant interactions with the receptors which likely reflect the optimization of the viral infection processes in the different hosts. While all viruses bound the feline TfR, reflecting their tissue culture host ranges, a naturally variant mutant of CPV (represented by the CPV type-2b strain) that became the dominant virus worldwide in 1979 showed significantly lower levels of binding to the feline TfR. The canine TfR ectodomain did not bind to a detectable level in the in vitro assays, but this appears to reflect the naturally low affinity of that interaction, as only low levels of binding were seen when the receptor was expressed on mammalian cells; however, that was sufficient to allow endocytosis and infection. The apical domain of the canine TfR controls the specific interaction with CPV capsids, as a canine TfR mutant altering a glycosylation site in that domain bound FPV, CPV-2, and CPV-2b capsids efficiently. Enzymatic removal of the N-linked glycans did not allow FPV binding to the canine TfR, suggesting that the protein sequence difference is itself important. The purified feline TfR inhibited FPV and CPV-2 binding and infection of feline cells but not CPV-2b, indicating that the receptor binding may be able to prevent the attachment to the same receptor on cells.

The genomes of all members of the Parvovirus genus were found to contain a small open reading frame (ORF), designated SAT, with a start codon four or seven nucleotides downstream of the VP2 initiation codon. Green fluorescent protein or FLAG fusion constructs of SAT demonstrated that these ORFs were expressed. Although the SAT proteins of the different parvoviruses are not particularly conserved, they were all predicted to contain a membrane-spanning helix, and mutations in this hydrophobic stretch affected the localization of the SAT protein. SAT colocalized with calreticulin in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and the nucleus. A knockout mutant (SAT), with an unmodified VP sequence, showed a “slow-spreading” phenotype. These knockout mutants could be complemented with VP2 SAT mutant. The SAT protein is a late nonstructural (NS) protein, in contrast to previously identified NS proteins, since it is expressed from the same mRNA as VP2. Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is the major causative virus in a syndrome of reproductive failure in swine, which includes stillbirths, mummified fetuses, early embryonic death, and infertility (12, 25). PPV replicates autonomously and has physicochemical properties and genomic sequences which resemble those of minute virus of mice (MVM), H-1 rodent parvovirus, canine parvovirus, and feline panleukopenia virus. These viruses are classified in the Parvovirus genus of the Parvoviridae (41). All parvoviruses have nonenveloped, icosahedral capsids with a diameter of around 25 nm and contain a single-stranded, linear DNA genome of about 4 to 6 kb.

Received 11 March 2005/Accepted 25 May 2005 Two strains of the parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM), the immunosuppressive (MVMi) and the prototype (MVMp) strains, display disparate in vitro tropism and in vivo pathogenicity. We report the crystal structures of MVMp virus-like particles (MVMpb) and native wild-type (wt) empty capsids (MVMpe), determined and refined to 3.25 and 3.75 A resolution, respectively, and their comparison to the structure of MVMi, also refined to 3.5 A resolution in this study. A comparison of the MVMpb and MVMpe capsids showed their structures to be the same, providing structural verification that some heterologously expressed parvovirus capsids are indistinguishable from wt capsids produced in host cells. The structures of MVMi and MVMp capsids were almost identical, but local surface conformational differences clustered from symmetry-related capsid proteins at three specific domains: (i) the icosahedral fivefold axis, (ii) the “shoulder” of the protrusion at the icosahedral threefold axis, and (iii) the area surrounding the depression at the icosahedral twofold axis. The latter two domains contain important determinants of MVM in vitro tropism (residues 317 and 321) and forward mutation residues (residues 399, 460, 553, and 558) conferring fibrotropism on MVMi. Furthermore, these structural differences between the MVM strains colocalize with tropism and pathogenicity determinants mapped for other autonomous parvovirus capsids, highlighting the importance of common parvovirus capsid regions in the control of virus-host interactions. Viral tissue tropism and pathogenesis are highly dependent on well-orchestrated and defined interactions that occur between the viral pathogen and its host. The single-stranded Parvoviridae infect a broad range of natural hosts that include invertebrates and mammals, and pathogenic members cause serious disease in the young and immunocompromised adults. However, disparities in tissue tropism and in vivo pathogenicity can be observed between highly homologous strains for several members of the Parvoviridae. The combination of molecular analysis with disease outcomes for a number of strains of the Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (AMDV) (9, 10), canine parvovirus (CPV), and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) (46, 61, 62), and for porcine parvovirus (PPV) (8, 41), has provided

Adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV5) requires sialic acid on host cells to bind and infect. Other parvoviruses, including Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV), canine parvovirus (CPV), minute virus of mice, and bovine parvovirus, also bind sialic acid. Hence, structural homology may explain this functional homology. The amino acids required for CPV sialic acid binding map to a site at the icosahedral twofold axes of the capsid. In contrast to AAV5, AAV2 does not bind sialic acid, but rather binds heparan sulfate proteoglycans at its threefold axes of symmetry. To explore the structure-function relationships among parvoviruses with respect to cell receptor attachment, we determined the structure of AAV5 by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and image reconstruction at a resolution of 16 Å. Surface features common to some parvoviruses, namely depressions encircling the fivefold axes and protrusions at or surrounding the threefold axes, are preserved in the AAV5 capsid. However, even though there were some similarities, a comparison of the AAV5 structure with those of ADV and CPV failed to reveal a feature which could account for the sialic acid binding phenotype common to all three viruses. In contrast, the overall surface topologies of AAV5 and AAV2 are similar. A pseudo-atomic model generated for AAV5 based on the crystal structure of AAV2 and constrained by the AAV5 cryo-EM envelope revealed differences only in surface loop regions. Surprisingly, the surface topologies of AAV5 and AAV2 are remarkably similar to that of ADV despite only exhibiting ∼20% identity in amino acid sequences. Thus, capsid surface features are shared among parvoviruses and may not be unique to their replication phenotypes, i.e., whether they require a helper or are autonomous. Furthermore, specific surface features alone do not explain the variability in carbohydrate requirements for host cell receptor interactions among parvoviruses.

By antigenic and genetic characterization of canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) strains collected in 2001 and 2002 in Italy, it was possible to observe the spread of viruses with an unusual mutation, Glu-426, affecting a major antigenic epitope of CPV-2. Out of 67 strains analyzed, 49 (73.13%) were characterized as CPV-2a, 6 (8.95%) were characterized as CPV-2b, and 12 (17.91%) were characterized as the Glu-426 mutant.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) differ in their ability to infect dogs and dog cells. Canine cell infection is a specific property of CPV and depends on the ability of the virus to bind the canine transferrin receptor (TfR), as well as other unidentified factors. Three regions in the capsid structure, located around VP2 residues 93, 300, and 323, can all influence canine TfR binding and canine cell infection. These regions were compared in the CPV and FPV capsid structures that have been determined, as well as in two new structures of CPV capsids that contain substitutions of the VP2 Asn-93 to Asp and Arg, respectively. The new structures, determined by X-ray crystallography to 3.2 and 3.3 Å resolutions, respectively, clearly showed differences in the interactions of residue 93 with an adjacent loop on the capsid surface. Each of the three regions show small differences in structure, but each appears to be structurally independent of the others, and the changes likely act together to affect the ability of the capsid to bind the canine TfR and to infect canine cells. This emphasizes the complex nature of capsid alterations that change the virus-cell interaction to allow infection of cells from different hosts.

Article, Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection induces reorganization of nuclear structures. Our studies indicated that late-stage infection induces accumulation of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and lamin B1 concomitantly with a decrease of lamin A/C levels on the apical side of the nucleus. Newly formed CPV capsids are located in close proximity to NPCs on the apical side. These results suggest that parvoviruses cause apical enrichment of NPCs and reorganization of nuclear lamina, presumably to facilitate the late-stage infection., published version, http://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerReviewed

The genetic trajectory leading to viral attenuation was studied in a canine parvovirus (CPV) strain grown on dog kidney cells for 115 transfers. Consensus sequences of viral populations at passages 0, 3, 30, 50, 80, and 115 were obtained from PCR products covering 86% of the genome; clones from each of the 80th and 115th passages were also sequenced, covering 69% of the genome. Sixteen changes were fixed in the 115th-passage virus sample. Levels of polymorphism were strikingly different over time, in part because of a plaque-cloning step at passage 112 that reduced variation: passage 80 had 19 variants common among the clones, but passage 115 had only a single common variant. Several mutations increased in the culture at the same time, with most reaching fixation only after the 80th passage. The pattern of evolution was consistent with recombination and not with separate selective sweeps of individual mutations. Thirteen of the changes observed were identical to or at the same positions as changes observed in other isolates of CPV or feline panleukopenia virus.

The in vivo pathogenicity of canine parvovirus (CPV) type 2c (strain V203) and of CPV type 2a (strain V154) against cats was investigated. Our results indicate that both types of CPV have the potential to induce disease in cats.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a small, nonenveloped virus that is a host range variant of a virus which infected cats and changes in the capsid protein control the ability of the virus to infect canine cells. We used a variety of approaches to define the early stages of cell entry by CPV. Electron microscopy showed that virus particles concentrated within clathrin-coated pits and vesicles early in the uptake process and that the infecting particles were rapidly removed from the cell surface. Overexpression of a dominant interfering mutant of dynamin in the cells altered the trafficking of capsid-containing vesicles. There was a 40% decrease in the number of CPV-infected cells in mutant dynamin-expressing cells, as well as a ∼40% decrease in the number of cells in S phase of the cell cycle, which is required for virus replication. However, there was also up to 10-fold more binding of CPV to the surface of mutant dynamin-expressing cells than there was to uninduced cells, suggesting an increased receptor retention on the cell surface. In contrast, there was little difference in virus binding, virus infection rate, or cell cycle distribution between induced and uninduced cells expressing wild-type dynamin. CPV particles colocalized with transferrin in perinuclear endosomes but not with fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran, a marker for fluid-phase endocytosis. Cells treated with nanomolar concentrations of bafilomycin A1 were largely resistant to infection when the drug was added either 30 min before or 90 min after inoculation, suggesting that there was a lag between virus entering the cell by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and escape of the virus from the endosome. High concentrations of CPV particles did not permeabilize canine A72 or mink lung cells to α-sarcin, but canine adenovirus type 1 particles permeabilized both cell lines. These data suggest that the CPV entry and infection pathway is complex and involves multiple vesicular components.

The three-dimensional structure of expressed VP2 capsids of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus strain G (ADV G-VP2 ) has been determined to 22 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy and image reconstruction techniques. A structure-based sequence alignment of the VP2 capsid protein of canine parvovirus (CPV) provided a means to construct an atomic model of the ADV G-VP2 capsid. The ADV G-VP2 reconstruction reveals a capsid structure with a mean external radius of 128 Å and several surface features similar to those found in human parvovirus B19 (B19), CPV, feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), and minute virus of mice (MVM). Dimple-like depressions occur at the icosahedral twofold axes, canyon-like regions encircle the fivefold axes, and spike-like protrusions decorate the threefold axes. These spikes are not present in B19, and they are more prominent in ADV compared to the other parvoviruses owing to the presence of loop insertions which create mounds near the threefold axes. Cylindrical channels along the fivefold axes of CPV, FPV, and MVM, which are surrounded by five symmetry-related β-ribbons, are closed in ADV G-VP2 and B19. Immunoreactive peptides made from segments of the ADV G-VP2 capsid protein map to residues in the mound structures. In vitro tissue tropism and in vivo pathogenic properties of ADV map to residues at the threefold axes and to the wall of the dimples.

A prevalent new field canine parvovirus type-2a (CPV-2a) strain, CPV-s5, was isolated from the feces of a dog with diarrhea in Shenzhen, China. The genome of CPV-s5 was determined and analyzed, which will facilitate further study of the molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of CPV-2 field isolates in southern China.

The structure of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) packaging H-1 parvovirus (H-1PV), which is being developed as an antitumor gene delivery vector, has been determined for wild-type (wt) virions and noninfectious (empty) capsids to 2.7- and 3.2-Å resolution, respectively, using X-ray crystallography. The capsid viral protein (VP) structure consists of an α-helix and an eight-stranded anti-parallel β-barrel with large loop regions between the strands. The β-barrel and loops form the capsid core and surface, respectively. In the wt structure, 600 nucleotides are ordered in an interior DNA binding pocket of the capsid. This accounts for ∼12% of the H-1PV genome. The wt structure is identical to the empty capsid structure, except for side chain conformation variations at the nucleotide binding pocket. Comparison of the H-1PV nucleotides to those observed in canine parvovirus and minute virus of mice, two members of the genus Parvovirus , showed both similarity in structure and analogous interactions. This observation suggests a functional role, such as in capsid stability and/or ssDNA genome recognition for encapsulation. The VP structure differs from those of other parvoviruses in surface loop regions that control receptor binding, tissue tropism, pathogenicity, and antibody recognition, including VP sequences reported to determine tumor cell tropism for oncotropic rodent parvoviruses. These structures of H-1PV provide insight into structural features that dictate capsid stabilization following genome packaging and three-dimensional information applicable for rational design of tumor-targeted recombinant gene delivery vectors.

Twenty-seven feline parvovirus (FPV) isolates were recovered from cats clinically diagnosed with feline panleukopenia (FPL) for assessing antigenic and genomic properties of FPL viruses (FPLV) recently prevalent among cats in Japan. All isolates, with the exception of one novel isolate, FPV-314, possessed homologous properties, and their subgroups in FPVs were identified as FPLV. The FPV-314 isolate, which was from a 1.5-year-old cat which manifested clinical signs of FPL and died on the 13th day after the first medical examination, was finally identified as canine parvovirus (CPV) because it lacked a specific antigenic epitope commonly detected in FPLV and mink enteritis virus and because the nucleotide sequence of the capsid protein gene was almost identical to those of CPV-2a and -2b antigenic type strains recently prevalent among dogs in Japan. The present result together with our previous findings (M. Mochizuki, R. Harasawa, and H. Nakatani. Vet. Microbiol. 38:1-10, 1993) indicates the possibility that CPV and FPLV undergo mutual interspecies transmission between dogs and cats, and it is postulated that they may cause disease in some adventitious hosts.

A method for detecting wild-type canine parvovirus (CPV) strains which contaminate vaccines for dogs has been developed by PCR. PCR primers which distinguish vaccine strains from the most common, recent strains of wild-type CPV in many countries, including Japan and the United States, were developed. This PCR is based on the differences in nucleotide sequences which determine the two antigenic types of this virus. CPV vaccine strains derived from antigenically old-type virus prevalent in former times were not detected by PCR with differential primers. Detection sensitivity of PCR was 100- to 10,000-fold higher than that of the culture method in Crandell feline kidney cells.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection leads to reorganization of nuclear proteinaceous subcompartments. Our studies showed that virus infection causes a time-dependent increase in the amount of viral nonstructural protein NS1 mRNA. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching showed that the recovery kinetics of nuclear transcription-associated proteins, TATA binding protein (TBP), transcription factor IIB (TFIIB), and poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1) were different in infected and noninfected cells, pointing to virus-induced alterations in binding dynamics of these proteins.

We are currently investigating the regulation of transcription of the Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV). ADV causes a chronic immune complex-mediated condition known as classical Aleutian disease, characterized by slow viral replication. This slow replication is an intrinsic property of ADV and distinguishes it from the more prototypic parvoviruses such as minute virus of mice (MVM) and canine parvovirus (CPV). We have previously suggested a role for the weak ADV promoters in the slow replication and thereby the absence of acute cytopathology and instead establishment of persistent ADV infection with progressive immune complex-mediated chronic lesions. In this study, we have mapped the cis-acting sequences around the ADV P36 promoter responsible for both constitutive transcription and transactivation mediated by the nonstructural protein 1. The mapping was performed by using endpoint deletions of the ADV P36 promoter and by making chimeras between the ADV P36 and MVM P38 promoters. We found the weak constitutive activity of the ADV P36 promoter to be caused by suboptimal promoter proximal sequences, while the low level of transactivation was caused mainly by an upstream region including sequences with homology to the transactivation responsive element (tar) of the H-1 parvovirus (M.-L. Gu, F.-X. Chen, and S. L. Rhode, Virology 187:10-17, 1992). We also found the corresponding regions in the MVM and CPV P38 promoters to be important for transactivation of these promoters by making 5' deletions of the promoter region. In addition, it was found that MVM tar-like and upstream sequences could transfer high nonstructural protein 1 responsiveness to the ADV promoter even though the distance between the tar-like element and the TATA box was significantly changed. On the basis of comparative data for ADV, MVM, CPV, and H-1, a new clustered motif (TTGGTT) is proposed to be the responsive cis-acting element for transactivation. Homology comparison of the specific transcriptional elements of the ADV P36, MVM P38, and CPV P38 promoters suggests that few, but crucial, changes in the ADV P36 promoter and upstream region are responsible for the weak constitutive activity and low level of transactivation of the ADV P36 promoter.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) are over 98% similar in DNA sequence but have specific host range, antigenic, and hemagglutination (HA) properties which were located within the capsid protein gene. In vitro mutagenesis and recombination were used to prepare 16 different recombinant genomic clones, and viruses derived from those clones were analyzed for their in vitro host range, antigenic, and HA properties. The region of CPV from 59 to 91 map units determined the ability to replicate in canine cells. A complex series of interactions was observed among the individual sequence differences between 59 and 73 map units. The canine host range required that VP2 amino acids (aa) 93 and 323 both be the CPV sequence, and those two CPV sequences introduced alone into FPV greatly increased viral replication in canine cells. Changing any one of aa 93, 103, or 323 of CPV to the FPV sequence either greatly decreased replication in canine cells or resulted in an inviable plasmid. The Asn-Lys difference of aa 93 alone was responsible for the CPV-specific epitope recognized by monoclonal antibodies. An FPV-specific epitope was affected by aa 323. Amino acids 323 and 375 together determined the pH dependence of HA. Amino acids involved in the various specific properties were all around the threefold spikes of the viral particle.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) emerged as an apparently new virus during the mid-1970s. The origin of CPV is unknown, but a variation from feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) or another closely related parvovirus is suspected. Here we examine the in vitro and in vivo canine and feline host ranges of CPV and FPV. Examination of three canine and six feline cell lines and mitogen-stimulated canine and feline peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed that CPV replicates in both canine and feline cells, whereas FPV replicates efficiently only in feline cells. The in vivo host ranges were unexpectedly complex and distinct from the in vitro host ranges. Inoculation of dogs with FPV revealed efficient replication in the thymus and, to some degree, in the bone marrow, as shown by virus isolation, viral DNA recovery, and Southern blotting and by strand-specific in situ hybridization. FPV replication could not be demonstrated in mesenteric lymph nodes or in the small intestine, which are important target tissues in CPV infection. Although CPV replicated well in all the feline cells tested in vitro, it did not replicate in any tissue of cats after intramuscular or intravenous inoculation. These results indicate that these viruses have complex and overlapping host ranges and that distinct tissue tropisms exist in the homologous and heterologous hosts.

VP2 is the major component of canine parvovirus (CPV) capsids. The VP2-coding gene was engineered to be expressed by a recombinant baculovirus under the control of the polyhedrin promoter. A transfer vector that contains the lacZ gene under the control of the p10 promoter was used in order to facilitate the selection of recombinants. The expressed VP2 was found to be structurally and immunologically indistinguishable from authentic VP2. The recombinant VP2 shows also the capability to self-assemble, forming viruslike particles similar in size and appearance to CPV virions. These viruslike particles have been used to immunize dogs in different doses and combinations of adjuvants, and the anti-CPV responses have been measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, monolayer protection assays, and an assay for the inhibition of hemagglutination. A dose of ca. 10 micrograms of VP2 was able to elicit a good protective response, higher than that obtained with a commercially available, inactivated vaccine. The results indicate that these viruslike particles can be used to protect dogs from CPV infection.

Different isolates of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) were cloned and nucleotide sequenced. Analysis of individual clones from two in vivo-derived isolates of high virulence indicated that more than one type of ADV DNA were present in each of these isolates. Analysis of several clones from two preparations of a cell culture-adapted isolate of low virulence showed the presence of only one type of ADV DNA. We also describe the nucleotide sequence from map units 44 to 88 of a new type of ADV DNA. The new type of ADV DNA is compared with the previously published ADV sequences, to which it shows 95% homology. These findings indicate that ADV, a single-stranded DNA virus, has a considerable degree of variability and that several virus types can be present simultaneously in an infected animal.